Loneliness
by MegaKat
Summary: Loneliness will drive us to do things we'd never thought of before. When Sesshomaru meets a silver-haired woman that claims to be the goddess of the moon, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her despite his attempts to fight his inner demon's reactions to her. Rated T for now, M later for my usual level of smut. The title may change, I couldn't think of a good one.
1. Chapter 1

**A little backstory which will be revealed later on detail: Serenity, being lonely after hundreds of years as Cosmos, sticks to her goddess form (what would have been Neo-Queen Serenity had her world not been destroyed) and dimension and time jumps frequently as Cosmos. And she's now in the Inuyasha world…**

** This is also what was supposed to be a prequel to Attrition, a popular DBZ/SM story that I wrote, but as I kept going, there were just too many inconsistencies to make it as such. But since it's just a fanfic, you can think of it as a loosely based prequel of sorts… :D**

** And this is for Sesshy's Mistress, a very awesome beta and RL friend of mine that is arguably one of the biggest Sesshomaru fangirls out there! Enjoy!**

Kagome sighed happily as they arrived back at what had been their home for only a few weeks, and flopped heavily onto the futon only to hear a knock at the door. "Inuyasha…? Please get that?" She whimpered. "My feet hurt from all that walking, I haven't walked that far since before I graduated!"

"Oh, quit yer bitchin'," the hanyou mumbled as he swung the door open to huff at one of the village priestesses. "What!?" He snapped. "We've been back for less than five minutes!" And with his mate being tired and carrying their first pup, he'd be damned if he let the priestesses drag her off for some sort of training exercise or purification ceremony. "Well!?"

The miko sighed and shook her head slightly at the hanyou's continued lack of manners, but spoke her peace anyway. The sooner she got away from him, the sooner she'd abstain from slapping a purification scroll on his forehead just to render him silent. "This village has hosted a very important figure on occasion for the last several years, and one of the priestesses is ill. I thought that perhaps Kagome-san would stand in for the other miko."

Inuyasha blinked in confusion and shook his head slightly. "And why would the priestesses be needed for a visiting lord?"

Looking over his shoulder for Kagome, the miko finally decided to tell him; after all, if Kagome trusted him, then perhaps the other mikos should as well. "It's not a lord, Inuyasha. It's a goddess. The goddess of the moon in particular, and the priestesses keep her company whenever she visits the sacred lake to bathe and soak in the moonlight."

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha roared, hiding a smirk over the fact that she was likely in their bedroom, having a hissy fit over being bothered. "THE MIKO WANTS YOU TO COME AND HELP WITH SOME GODDESS THING AND—"

"OSUWARI!"

Cringing at the pain in his face from slamming into the hardwood floors, Inuyasha flipped off the miko at the door when she laughed. "Shuddup, wench. KAGOME! IF YOU DON'T WANT ME TO YELL—"

"OSUWARI!"

"I'M ALREADY ON MY FACE, YOU STUPID FUCKING WOMAN!"

"FINE, I'M COMING!"

Footsteps were heard, and finally Kagome came into view, still dressed in a light kimono worn for travelling. "I'm sorry, Miaka, but I'm exhausted. We just came back from visiting with Rin, and we're expecting a lot of visitors tomorrow or the day after. I don't think I can leave right now, the baby's got me drained."

Eyeing the slight swell to Kagome's tummy, Miaka beamed. "It isn't a problem, we wouldn't need you until nightfall anyway, and a lot of the priestesses take futons with them and sleep out under the stars if they get tired. The goddess just enjoys company whenever she visits and nothing more. She'd even be able to tell you whether it's a boy or girl," she added with a grin and a waggle of her eyebrows.

That convinced Kagome and she sighed and nodded. "I'll take a nap then. Would you come by and wake me when it's time to go?"

"Sure, I'll even carry your futon, since there aren't any males allowed whenever she visits."

Finally picking himself up, Inuyasha frowned at the miko. "Wait a sec, woman. It's god of the moon, not goddess. The goddess is of the sun. Duh."

Rolling her eyes, Miaka wished she could yell 'osuwari' as well and put him on his face. "There are many gods and goddesses," she said patiently as if she were educating a small child. "Some major and some minor. Did it occur to you that perhaps the moon god had a daughter named Kaguya?"

"Oh! Kaguya hime!" Kagome exclaimed. "We have that legend where I come from, too!"

"See?" The miko said to Inuyasha condescendingly. "Even your wife knows and she's not from this time."

##########################################

Rubbing at her eyes sleepily, Kagome followed Miaka and the other mikos blindly into the forest towards the lake, practically dozing on her feet.

"Come on," Miaka urged her gently. "It's not much further, and then you can rest awhile, ok? We've even brought food; the goddess loves to eat, you know, so we cook her tons of good stuff whenever she visits."

Kagome just yawned and nodded, and soon enough they were at the sacred lake, where a silver-haired woman was standing at the edge, simply looking up at the full moon with a serene smile on her face. "Is that her?"

"Hai, that's her. She goes by many, many names, but she prefers Serenity. She won't get mad if you slip up and call her Kaguya, though, so don't worry. I don't think I've ever seen her angry about anything at all. She's very, very kind."

Sure enough, the moment they approached Serenity, she turned and smiled warmly at them all. "Konnichiwa, minna." Then she blinked and stared at Kagome, her face lighting up with joy. "Oh! You're pregnant! Come, sit down and rest! You look exhausted!"

Sure, Miaka had said that she was _kind_, but Kagome hadn't expected such a sunny, personable lady to be waiting for them, and was too floored by the way the goddess fussed over her and even laid out her futon for her to sit on, insisting that she relax. _ I guess I suspected someone more like Sesshomaru, _she mused silently as Serenity produced a few pillows out of nowhere and fluffed them and stuck them under her head. _Sesshomaru's kind, but in an aloof, detached sort of way. Serenity's so human, though!_

Clucking like a mother hen, the goddess covered her up with a blanket that also came out of nowhere and sparkled like the starlight overhead. "Much better. Now you rest while I bathe. We're always in there for a few hours, so take a nap, sweetheart." Then she winked and bent down to Kagome's ear, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "It's a boy by the way… but why does he have dog ears and a tail?"

"Oh…" Kagome blushed, not sure what the immensely kind goddess would think of her if she told her she was married to a hanyou. "My husband… er, mate… he's half demon-dog."

"Oh!" Serenity said brightly. "Well, that makes sense, I suppose! He's going to be such a cute little puppy!" And in a flash, her attention was focused elsewhere and she was chatting animatedly with the other mikos, inquiring about their families and their children as if they weren't her handmaidens, but rather very dear, good friends of hers.

Kagome dozed off quickly, warmed and comforted by the blanket that smelled like starlight, lulled by the chatter of the other mikos and the absolutely beautiful, tinkling bell-like laugh of the moon goddess as they all got in the water. She woke some time later; by her estimation it was a little past midnight, and she felt amazingly refreshed from her nap. "God, I feel like I could run a mile!" She yawned and stretched, and when she sat up she found all of the other mikos sleeping save one, who was clearly staying up just to keep the goddess company as she floated on her back in the water.

"I'll take over, Sakura," Kagome said sympathetically, pointing to her own futon. "You look tired." Nodding at the other miko's thanks, Kagome slipped out of her kimono and joined the goddess in the lake. "Thank you," she said softly, "I think that blanket of yours had something to do with how well I slept."

"It did, and you're very welcome," Serenity replied, her silver eyes flickering over her stomach with a touch of envy in them. "I always wanted a child," she sighed a little sadly. "A daughter… but it was never meant to be."

Her tone spoke volumes, telling Kagome that there had been a man once, perhaps another god, but that things hadn't worked out so well for them. "If he left you, he's a real jackass."

"No, he died in battle," Serenity whispered forlornly. "He was a good man and I loved him very much. His name was Endymion."

"Serenity-sama, please forgive me," Kagome said quickly, her eyes flying wide. "I didn't mean any disrespect by my careless words."

"No, it's alright, Endymion would have told you flat-out that he _was_ a jackass," she giggled. "He really could be at times, but… I loved him anyway, and he loved me more than anything in the universe. Oh, don't look so down, Kagome," Serenity sighed. "I try to remember him as he was and not continue to grieve, although sometimes it's hard to keep myself from being sad when I think of having children." Studying her stomach, she held her fingers out over it, but waited for Kagome to nod before she lowered it to the slight swell and her hand glowed gently. "Hm… he's beautiful," she murmured, eyes half-closed as she saw the pup in her mind's eye. "He'll have white hair and golden eyes… just like his father's, is my guess. And he has a tail and puppy ears and he's absolutely perfect. You'll give birth to him on December second, just at dawn."

"I know you're a goddess, but how do you know that, Serenity-sama? You're not just a goddess of the moon, are you?"

"Oh, I'm a moon goddess alright, I just picked up some… _talents_ along the way. Combined with my healing abilities, seeing into the future allowed me to tell you some stuff, but it would take a lot more power to go much further than a few months."

"Oh," Kagome said simply, not sure if she'd be prying too much by asking anything further about the extent of Serenity's powers. "Thank you, though. Inuyasha will be overjoyed," she said happily, her own hand stroking gently over the growing tummy. "He says he doesn't care whether it's a girl or a boy, but I know he really wants a boy. His uncle, too," she giggled, "though Sesshomaru would never admit even caring about any child of Inuyasha's. He's really a softie on the inside, I think, considering the way he dotes on Rin—his ward—but he acts all cold and uncaring all the time."

"Heh, sounds like a man I once knew," Serenity sighed as she thought about Heero, a lover from another time and place. Hell, another dimension. "Those men are usually the biggest softies in secret," she added conspiratorially. "I'm sure your mate was like that too, considering his demon lineage?"

"Cold… not so much. Loud as hell and mean and nasty, yes. Inuyasha's not like that anymore, though… at least, not with me. Most of the time," she added with a giggle. "But then I can just yell 'osuwari!' at the top of my lungs and the beads around his neck will put his face into the nearest rock."

Serenity laughed at that, the sound ringing over even the waterfall. "I'd say 'poor thing,' but judging by your tone, he likely deserves it most of the time."

Kagome laughed right along with her, and when Serenity asked about how they'd met, she proceeded to tell her the entire long tale as the goddess glowed from the moonlight and even washed the miko's long, black hair in the middle of the story. And when she'd finished speaking, dawn was upon them and she blushed at how long-winded—and likely boring—she'd been the entire time. "Sorry, Serenity-sama, I really didn't mean to talk your ear off! I didn't let you get a word in edge-wise!"

"No, it's perfectly fine, Kagome," she replied warmly. "It was nice to hear someone speak of the future and of things that I know of but can never discuss with others. Another time," she added quickly when Kagome's expression clearly stated that she was about to ask if Serenity was from the future. "That is a story for the new moon, when it is dark and my mood is as well."

#################################

"And she was so nice!" Kagome gushed for the millionth time to everyone sitting around the table. "I simply can't get over how kind and personable she was!"

Inuyasha drummed his fingers on the counter for the millionth time and rolled his eyes before finally speaking his thoughts. "Well, what did you expect, Kagome?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment and finally shrugged. "I dunno," she admitted honestly. "I expected… _him_, I suppose," she finally answered, pointing to Sesshomaru with the carrot she was munching on.

"Lofty and arrogant as hell," Inuyasha snickered. "With a stick stuck up the goddess's ass to boot?"

Sesshomaru merely grunted and continued to sip at his tea while everyone around him laughed. Let them laugh, the opinion of those so beneath him mattered not. What mattered was this so-called 'goddess' and whether or not she was something far more sinister in disguise. According to his brother's mate, the goddess was always waiting at the lake whenever the moon was full, and even sometimes when it was not, and she was always gracious, kind, and even very human in her behavior. _She cannot be a goddess. Goddesses do not deign to mingle with mortals._

Then again, neither did his kind, according to tradition. But here he was, all the same, standing in Kagome's kitchen, drinking her tea as he was surrounded with mortals, demons, and half-demons alike.

"I don't know about you, but this all seems fishy to me," Koga rumbled. And then he was voicing Sesshomaru's thoughts and the youkai was pleased that he wasn't the only one in the room with half a brain. "Goddesses just don't hang around mortals. Like, ever."

Inuyasha considered Koga's words for a long moment before nodding. "I trust Kagome's judgment, but I agree. I've never heard of a goddess just coming down to bathe and spend time with others."

"I think she's awfully lonely," Kagome sighed. "If she really is a goddess, that would make sense. Sesshomaru, Koga and Shippo are all demons and practically immortal… don't you guys get lonely?"

Shippo just shrugged his broad shoulders and grinned; he'd really grown up a lot during the last fifteen years. "Hey, I'm still technically just a kid!"

"I have my pack," Koga chuckled. "I never have to worry about such a thing."

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked gently. "What about you? I mean, you've been around for like… forever, right? You'd probably be the best one to compare her to in regards to age. Don't you get lonely?"

Truth be told, not during the last fifteen years, but before that, even with that annoying little imp by his side, yes. Sesshomaru had battled loneliness, but for the most part he simply had ignored it. But then Rin had come along and changed all of that. He wasn't about to admit it in front of a bunch of humans, though.

"You know, Sesshomaru, you talk too much," Kagome giggled. "Lighten up, big brother, it was only a question." She sighed when he only glared at her and set his tea cup to the side, striding out of the house as if he owned it.

"I think you hit a nerve," Sango said softly.

"I didn't mean to," Kagome sighed. "I was only trying to get his point of view. I mean, shit! Wouldn't you be lonely, too, if _you_ were immortal?"

"I'm honestly glad that I don't have that problem," Inuyasha added quietly. "I'm long-lived, yes. But not immortal like my brother… you may have a point, Kagome, about the megami. But I think we should still check it out."

##################################

On that second night, Kagome was surprised to see all the mikos setting out a lavish feast, but when she thought that it was just for the goddess, she was amazed to see Serenity motioning for them all to eat their fill. "Especially you!" The moon goddess said warmly, pointing at Kagome. "You're eating for two, young lady!"

The pregnant miko took a seat beside Serenity when the goddess insisted upon it, and just gaped as she was served a plate by the silver-haired woman herself, piled high with all sorts of goodies. "Thank you very much," she whispered, unable to contain her surprise. Not wanting to be rude, she ate until she was absolutely stuffed, then immediately moved to help the goddess disrobe when she suggested that they all take a dip. "Wait, aren't you supposed to wait thirty minutes?" Kagome mused aloud.

"Not when I'm around," Serenity chuckled. "No one gets a cramp in the lake when I'm in it, too. Don't worry, just enjoy yourself, Kagome."

The pregnant miko decided to just that and stripped down to join the megami and the rest of the mikos in the lake, a few of them helping to wash Serenity's unbelievably long hair before the goddess helped them with theirs. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Kagome asked respectfully.

"Enjoy yourself, sweetheart. That's it. I swear it," she replied with a giggle as she kissed her cheek. Serenity froze then and whipped her head around to stare at the treeline. "Oh, ladies!" She called. "I believe we have a visitor!"

Quite a few of the shrine maidens shrieked and fled for the falls, and Kagome laughed loudly when she saw them all fleeing. "Sissies!" Then again, she wasn't a virgin, so the idea of being spied on a little didn't really bother her so much… and apparently the remaining mikos weren't bothered by it, either. "Is this common, Miaka?"

She just laughed and nodded in response before pointing towards the path. "Usually by the second night of the full moon, the village boys get brave. It happens every month and we're used to it, honestly. One of them always gets dared to come down here and try to coerce Serenity-sama into giving them a kiss."

Sure enough, Serenity was swimming to the edge of the lake and waiting patiently, her eyes locked onto a single spot in the woods, and before long a trembling young man no older than fifteen stepped out and just stared at the beautiful goddess in the water. "Megami-sama…? I was… was t—told that your k—kiss brings…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously and took a few steps closer. "Um, uh… luck in love."

"Aw, that's a new one!" Serenity laughed, but she could tell that the boy actually believed what he was saying. Wow, he was either head-over-heels for some girl in the village, or his friends had really worked him over to believe it. "Come closer, cutie, I don't bite."

When she waited and then beckoned for good measure, the teenager walked over slowly on shaky legs, eyes wide as he obviously tried to stop staring at her breasts and the thatch of silver curls between her thighs. "Clearly, you've never seen a naked woman before," she sighed. "Come on down here and get your kiss, and then tell me about the girl you like so much. I may be able to help you out with her."

"Serenity loves playing matchmaker," Miaka whispered in Kagome's ear, and both mikos grinned as they watched the boy bravely kneel and dart in to peck the ethereal beauty on the lips. "If a boy actually has the balls to risk not getting the shit beaten out of him by the mikos, she'll give them love advice."

Kagome watched the boy take a seat next to Serenity, and while she couldn't hear but a word here or there, the boy was clearly pouring out his heart to her. "Aw, you guys would have beaten his ass? For real?"

"If Serenity told us to, yes. She can sense the light in people's souls, and if she deems them unworthy, she'll give us older mikos a go at them while the virgins hide. It doesn't happen often, though; word's gotten around that Serenity will not tolerate men with evil hearts."

Kagome simply nodded and watched as Serenity imparted wisdom to the boy, gave him a soft, gentle kiss on the mouth, and then shooed him off. "That was fast."

"The simplest solutions are often the best," the goddess giggled . "I know of the girl he likes, and if he just makes a move on her, I think it'll all turn out alright. They're both so shy that neither of them would get anywhere without some intervening… and I'm hoping our little talk helped his balls drop," she added with a wink.

Kagome and the older mikos laughed at that, but no sooner had the virgins come back out into the water, Serenity froze again and stared at a completely different spot in the trees. "Another one? Really!? Damn… these boys are getting awfully brave!" She laughed. Then she stopped, studied the spot carefully, and the mikos watched her eyes darken a little. "Show yourself, demon, and make your intentions known! I am a kind goddess, but I am far from patient if I think my girls are in danger!"

It was Kagome's turn to shriek like the virgin mikos, and she dove into the water when Koga came out of the woods. "YOU PERVERT!" She shouted at him when he flashed her a toothy grin and wagged his tail.

"I finally got to see your rack, Kagome! Nice tits!" He shouted. Then his eyes truly locked on Serenity and he sucked in a sharp breath. "But not nearly as divine as the lady in front of me," he growled as he slowly approached. "Dear gods, megami-sama… I don't think I've _ever_ seen a woman as beautiful as you," he whispered sincerely, unable to jerk his eyes from her.

"While I appreciate the compliment, demon, none of your kind has been stupid enough to approach these sacred waters… let alone while I was bathing in them. State your business and be on your way."

"I am Koga, chieftain of the Yoro clan. And you…" He looked her up and down again as he tried not to drool, sighing a little at the sight of such perfection. "…are perfect. So you _must_ be Serenity-sama."

"And your business is…?"

"Other than just bathing in your divine beauty, I've come to make sure you're no threat to my hanyou friend and his mate. Kagome told us about you and we were all a little skeptical as to your claims of godhood. I have to say I don't doubt them anymore, but tell me… why does a goddess bother consorting with mortals?"

Serenity's eyes flashed in anger at that and she took a step out of the water towards him. "Youkai, I am hardly going to explain myself to any male, let alone you."

Koga held up his hands in a gesture of peace as he slowly backed off. "Hey, I was just curious, Serenity-sama! That's all! Please don't hit me, I don't think I could stand any pain inflicted by such a gloriously beautiful creature!"

"He learned that from Miroku!" Kagome shouted, grinning ear to ear. "Kick his ass, megami-sama!"

"Hm… I think I might just have to meet this 'Miroku' character," Serenity mused. She stalked up to Koga then, and when he cringed, she kissed him gently on the lips. "There. You know I'm a goddess for sure now, _and_ you got a kiss out of it. So get out of my clearing before I kick your ass, wolf demon."

"You call _that_ a kiss?" Koga snorted, jerking her flush to him before aggressively claiming her mouth with a low growl of pleasure. He dialed it back a notch when her lips parted in surprise, and kissed her deep and long, tasting and exploring every crevice of the inside of her mouth before eventually releasing her. "Now _that's_ a fucking _kiss_, my dear goddess," he purred smugly, giving her a wink and running off before she could recover and beat the living shit out of him.

Bright red and panting for air, Serenity could only watch him go. "Holy hot fucking damn on a stick. That was one _**hell**_ of a kiss, alright!" She added in a shout towards the trees, giggling when she heard a triumphant I-am-all-that-is-man howl erupt from the forest. She knew he'd heard her, too. "Koga, you need to give some of the boys in the village lessons!"

She was still flushed as she slipped back into the cool lake, and she fanned herself with her hands. "Holy shit," she breathed. "Kagome, you told me he was hot, but damn, girl! I have to meet your hubby if you actually chose him over that wolf; Inuyasha's gotta be one sexy-ass smoking piece of manmeat!"

"Yeah, he is!" Kagome giggled. "I love his ears, they're so fun to pet and he makes the cutest faces when I scratch behind them."

Regaining her balance, Serenity opened her mouth to call her priestesses back when she sensed yet another male in the woods. "Seriously!?" She called. It felt human this time, so she sighed, swam to the edge, and waited. But when no one came out, she huffed in impatience. "Come on out and get your kiss, boy! Then get out of my clearing, you hear me!? I'm getting awfully weary of my mikos running for the hills every two seconds!"

Then the newcomer stepped out, and Serenity licked her lips at the sight of the most beautiful male she'd ever laid eyes on in her life. "Holy… demon or not, I'd be more than happy to give _you_ a kiss if you're having trouble with the ladies," she chuckled. "Though I can't see why," she added with a slight purr to her voice as she looked him up and down, watching his steady approach. "The women must be diving at your feet for a piece of that sexy ass."

Having shrieked at the top of her lungs and dropped back down to conceal her finer assets, Kagome vigorously shook her head and swam to Serenity to pull her back. "Trust me, I don't know why he's here, but Sesshomaru is _not_ here for a kiss, megami-sama!"

"My half-brother's mate is correct," the daiyoukai stated blandly as he stood at the edge and looked down into the water. "Since the wolf could not keep his hormones in check, I have come to see for myself whether you are a threat to my half-brother's pack. And since this one is much older, he is able to see that you are no goddess."

Serenity climbed out of the water at that, glowing in the moonlight, and she bared her teeth at him in her immediate fury. "Care to test that, puppy?"

Sesshomaru nearly took a step back when his demonic side leapt to the forefront—but not at the idea of being challenged. He was… aroused. True, the wolf had warned him of the moon woman's beauty, but the moment she was standing before him, completely bare, the inu lord felt that inner demon howling inside of him, demanding that he take her.

Interesting.

"This one has no desire to shed blood," he finally muttered, "since the half-breed specifically requested it. But you will leave this village in peace at dawn."

Serenity just stared at him for a long moment before snorting and rolling her eyes. "You know what, puppy boy? I'm in a good mood… and I'll have you know that I've got you beaten in spades when it comes to age, so I'm going to be calm and _mature_ about this," she ground out slowly. "Now… GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CLEARING BEFORE I TURN YOUR ASS INTO KIBBLE!"

Sesshomaru's eyes bled crimson at the challenge, and he gripped the hilt of his sword only to feel Kagome's fingers on his wrist, staying his hand. "Miko, you try this one's patience. It is only because you carry this one's nephew… and Rin's attachment to you that I will overlook such boldness."

"Sesshomaru, I don't know what you're thinking, but Serenity-sama is a kind and good soul. You know I can see these things," Kagome said softly, bright red over the fact that she was standing there in her birthday suit. Great, now Koga _and_ Sesshomaru had seen her naked! Inuyasha was going to shit a kitten over this! "Please don't do this, Sesshomaru, I implore you." She only removed her hand from his when he ground his teeth a little and finally nodded once. "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

"You're lucky," Serenity hissed; she'd been gathering her power and now shimmered in a full-body halo of moonlight, the silver crystal pulsing within her chest. "Because I would have sent you packing with your tail between your legs."

"You know not to whom you speak, false goddess. And it is only because of this miko's pleading that this Sesshomaru will allow you to live. Be out by dawn or face me in battle."

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow night then, mutt," Serenity snarled, reabsorbing her powers.

Despite his inner demon's constant badgering and his own curiosity over a woman that dared to speak to an inu lord so disrespectfully, Sesshomaru was not going to be swayed. "So be it. Your challenge is accepted."

######################################

Still seething from the events of the night before, Serenity transformed an hour before sunset, but Sesshomaru wasn't the first one to break through the treeline. "Wolf, you'll get out of my clearing if you know what's good for you," she ordered softly, knowing that he could hear her.

"They sent me because I'm the fastest runner," he said quickly, chancing getting his tail ripped off by darting forward. "I don't care about the argument that you and the daiyoukai had last night, megami, but I will always care about Kagome, and she fainted two hours ago. Word has it that you can heal."

Serenity's mood shifted immediately and she nodded. "Take me to her and fill me in on the way." She let Koga scoop her up then, and he talked quickly while she simply listened and he got her to the village as quickly as possible.

**A reminder that this is rated T for now, and will be rated M later on; of course in my typical fashion, I've written all the smut FIRST and I have to get the plot out of the way now… :D R&R and I'll try and update quickly! And please be gentle, this is my first time writing anything Inuyasha, I typically stick to my hot sexy Saiyan warriors!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, what a response! I honestly didn't think any of my DBZ/SM fans would have bothered with this! Thank yall for your reviews, and thanks again to Sesshy's Mistress for helping me to keep Sesshomaru in character! Go read her fics, they're awesome!**

Apparently Kagome hadn't felt well upon waking, but had powered through the day anyway and had fainted just before she'd served supper. She'd roused on occasion, but not for long, and had told Inuyasha that she felt weak—or as the miko had put it, "I feel like I yelled 'okuwari' and you landed on my head."

Serenity strode right into the house the moment Koga had set her on her feet and had every intention of going right to the priestess, but the sight of Sesshomaru standing in the doorway stopped her cold and she lifted the corner of her lip in a silent snarl.

That was met with a growl from the inu lord, and if he hadn't been over a foot taller than her they would have been nose-to-nose when she shoved at him. "Asshole!" She snapped.

"None of that in my fucking house, you hear me, wench!?" Came a male voice from the bedroom, his tone on the edge of panic. "My woman and pup are more fucking important than any dumbass grudge you two have for each other!"

Sesshomaru was actually the one that backed down, but his golden eyes glittered with malice as he stared down the goddess. "The whelp is right. Attend to the miko… if you can. This one highly doubts that you have any power at all."

"Oh, you'll fucking see about that, you mutt! Now get out of my way before I _**move you**_!" She snapped.

Only because he could sense his half-brother reaching a breaking point, the Lord of the West slid gracefully to the side but blocked Koga from entering the room when the wolf tried to go in as well. Three in the birthing room was more than was necessary, and he would not have the wolf youkai distracting or upsetting Kagome or Inuyasha. If something happened to either the mother or the child, Rin would be heartbroken, and Sesshomaru wouldn't have that for a moment if he could help it.

Serenity sat at the edge of the bed and looked over Kagome quickly before examining her nails. They seemed thin, just as she'd suspected. "Are they breaking easily?"

"How did you know?" Kagome whispered tiredly.

"Iron deficiency. Thank the gods for that, it's easy enough to fix." Serenity glowed then as she set Kagome's hand down and held her own over the miko's stomach. "It's because of the baby," she informed her absently. "Being part inu, he requires more iron and he's sucking it all out of you, basically. Hm… he seems fine, though, and I don't sense anything wrong with the pregnancy. You just need to eat more iron-rich foods."

"I'll go get 'em for her right now," Inuyasha said hurriedly. "Tell me what they are."

"The body can only absorb so much iron every day, Inuyasha," Serenity informed him gently. "But red meat, eggs and vegetables like spinach. Beans and lentils, too," she added as she wracked her brain. "And for the record," she said quickly, "she shouldn't have been walking so far the other day. Kagome, how much have you slept?"

"Not much," she admitted sheepishly, cringing a little when her mate shot her a look that could kill.

"I'll admit that's mostly my fault," Serenity sighed. "If you were tired the first night you came to the lake, you should have just stayed on the futon. I wouldn't have minded if you'd just sacked out for the rest of the night, honey. You're pregnant with a child that will tax the hell out of your human body because of his lineage. I can fix the exhaustion, though," she added thoughtfully, pulling the blanket that looked like it was made from stars out of her subspace. "You may borrow this until the baby comes in December."

Serenity silenced her as she checked her over completely, and frowned as she discovered something troubling; she hadn't looked over everything in Kagome's body until just then and was grateful that the occasion had risen to do so quickly. "I will give you some of my power," she said simply, not wanting to alarm anyone in the room. "Hold still and lie quiet."

Kagome closed her eyes, lulled into a state of peace by the aura of silver surrounding her as Serenity placed a hand over her heart, and Inuyasha and Sesshomaru merely stayed silent for over a half-hour until Serenity finally opened her eyes and the light faded. "There. Feel a little better, Kagome?"

"Mmm… much, thank you!" The miko said brightly. She frowned when she looked at the goddess, though, and saw how drained she'd become. "You need moonlight, don't you?" She asked knowingly, but the moment she tried to slide out of the bed, Inuyasha growled at her and pushed her gently back down into the covers.

"Your mate is right," Serenity said wearily. "You need your rest, Kagome. I fixed the exhaustion, but I can't just fix a vitamin deficiency. I'm not all-powerful, sorry."

"But you need to get back to the lake, don't you? You shouldn't be walking there by yourself," Inuyasha pointed out. "Stay here for the night and we'll escort you in the morning."

Serenity smiled at that and shook her head. "For reasons I can't discuss, I can't be present in daylight, I'm sorry. And Kagome, he is _quite_ the hottie," she added with a tired grin. "I can see why you chose him." With that, she stood and ignored the youkai in the kitchen, moving until she found a bench to sit on just outside right under the full moon. "Much better," she sighed as she lifted her face to it.

"This Sesshomaru is curious."

She cracked open one eye and snorted; damn, she hadn't even heard him move! "About?"

"You used a large amount of reiki just to cure exhaustion? This one could sense the level of power you employed."

Serenity sighed and shook her head before gnawing on her lower lip. "You know what? What do you care anyway? According to you, I'm a false goddess. Fucking prick," she added with a mutter.

"What was wrong with the miko that you needed to drain your energies?" Sesshomaru pressed, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance at her attitude. He waited a long time like that, and was sure she was just going to ignore him when she finally spoke.

"Kagome and Inuyasha can't know," she said softly. "I don't want them worrying needlessly, and I'm sure he would make her batshit crazy if he ever found out."

"You have this one's silence on the matter."

"She had cancer in her breast. It was small and new, which is maybe why I didn't sense it last night, but it was the kind that spreads fast. She would have been dead in a year at the most. Satisfied?" She sighed. She looked up to find him studying her closely, and for the first time since he'd met her he didn't have a violent gleam in his eyes while he was looking at her. Maybe he'd back down; she really didn't feel like fighting anyone to the death. "If you'd like to go back to the clearing, we can finish our little dispute."

"It would be an unfair match after you drained most of your power. This Sesshomaru would fight you at your full strength. I do not needlessly beat on the weak." He smirked slightly when her eyes flickered up at him and burned in anger. "You think to best this one tonight?"

"No," she ground out, "but I'll definitely hit you up next time."

"I'm going back," she said quietly after nearly an hour of soaking in moonlight. It wasn't even close to what she needed to absorb to get back without worry, let alone enough to be at full power… but she couldn't stand the way Sesshomaru kept studying her silently and seemingly refused to leave her alone.

"This one will escort you," he said simply as he moved next to her and gestured for her to walk.

"Like hell you will," she snorted. "Piss off, dog." Serenity started walking as fast as she was able, but when she heard his diligent footsteps following her closely, she stopped and turned to glare up at him. "Apparently you're deaf as well as retarded, so let me spell it out, Sesshomaru. Go away. Now. Don't go away mad, just _go away_!"

"No."

The utter flatness of that statement had her swinging, but the daiyoukai simply moved like water and slipped out of the way, his lips twitching up in an arrogant smirk. "Why are you following me, anyway?"

"You saved this one the effort of explaining to Rin why her aunt had perished. I assumed that 'cancer' was similar to an incurable cyst. Therefore, I will ensure your safety back to the clearing and forget our agreement to beat each other to death… for now." He watched her roll her eyes at that and smirked again; getting on this woman's nerves was proving to be very entertaining. "I will escort you whether you like it or not, for I will not be blamed if you meet your end along the way," he continued. "So you may as well walk, false megami. Do not force this one to carry you."

"Touch me and you'll lose a hand," she warned before stomping off towards her clearing once more. Really, she'd would have preferred just go to her home; it was much closer than the lake and on the outskirts of the village. But she'd be damned if she'd give that damned uptight youkai any clue as to what she really was… other than a goddess.

They were well into the forest when Sesshomaru noticed that her pace had slowed and her breathing was labored, and he began to debate how long it would be before she collapsed from sheer exhaustion. That was when his inner demon reared up at the very thought and snarled protectively, insisting that he aid the silver-haired woman or face the consequences of the beast taking full control of him. Son of a bitch… this rarely ever happened, and usually only when he was beating on the hanyou too hard. The beast would come up and insist that he back off, that he not kill his own kin, and it was the main reason that Inuyasha was still alive to that very day. Sesshomaru's inner demon had saved the hanyou on several occasions.

"You are going to collapse," he warned her. "Stop and rest awhile."

With a whimper, Serenity shook her head and used the trees as supports as she moved slowly, and she hissed at him like a feral cat when she felt his hand on her shoulder, steadying her as she swayed. "Don't. Touch. Me."

The wild, animalistic display of her baring her teeth actually made him grin momentarily. "If you think to best this one in a fight, woman, be my guest and try it." It was then that her legs trembled like a newborn colts and she fell, but she never hit the ground. Sesshomaru moved faster than she could see and had her cradled carefully to his chest. "You are unharmed?"

A punch to his arm made him decide that she was fine, but she clearly couldn't walk, so he sighed and resigned himself to carrying her, lifting her gently as he stood and he fought down the urge to sniff her. Damned inner demon! Already annoyed with himself for feeling arousal from the simple action of holding her, he grunted when she punched him again… and again. "You test this one's patience."

"Good," she huffed as she thumped his chest ineffectually once more.

"As the hanyou would put it, 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way.' This one suggests that you choose the former. The latter will prove to be most unpleasant."

"I'll take the hard way all day long, you arrogant fucking cock-sucking bast—AAAAH! PUT. ME. DOWN!" She yelled when he slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and she pounded away at his back with her tiny fists.

"Mmm… this one has not had a back massage in quite some time. Please, continue."

"OH, YOU ASSHOLE!" Serenity whacked that perfect, tight ass as hard as she could with her open hand and felt a mixture of triumph and fear when he immediately stopped. But she had to admit that her hand was throbbing; holy fucking gods, that ass was hard as a rock! "You want another one, dog? Because I'd be more than happy to spank you like a toddler."

"Hn." With that, Serenity felt a sharp crack on her ass and yelped, knowing that there would be a red handprint on it if she looked. "It seems to me that you are the one behaving like a child, Serenity. Continue and I shall punish you as if you are one." He paused for a long moment before smirking slightly. "Unless, of course… you would enjoy it." He sensed her embarrassment and was momentarily intrigued by the hint of arousal he could smell; after all, her tail end was more than close enough to his nose for him to be able to pick up on it, and it smelled delicious. He didn't let on, however, as he gave her another whack, this one lighter… and sniffed the air again. "Hm… so, you do enjoy it. That is… quite unexpected," he chuckled evilly.

"I do not!" She protested hotly, squirming in his grip once more. She only received another slap to the rear and yelped, ignored how it tingled pleasurably afterwards, and then whacked him in return. "You're damned lucky I'm too weak to put any power behind it," she huffed wearily. "I'd jerk a knot in your ass if I were at full strength."

Feeling her sag in defeat, Sesshomaru smirked and continued on his path. "This one looks forward to your attempt, woman."

She was petulantly silent after that and simply hung there, and she was surprised when he shifted his grip after a mile and was cradling her in his arms once more, curling his mokomoko about her securely. "You were shivering," he grunted when she looked up at him in wide-eyed surprise. Serenity made reply, but she did keep still for the remainder of the walk while Sesshomaru secretly breathed in her scent and tried to make heads or tails of why his inner demon wanted her so badly.

###############################

Once back at the clearing, Serenity waited until Sesshomaru had taken his leave, concentrating on him closely to be sure he was truly and gone and not spying on her before she summoned up a trickle of power and teleported to her home and collapsed into her bed. Letting her hair melt to gold, she immediately felt a sight better since she didn't require the moonlight in her human body, but she was still exhausted from the ordeal of healing Kagome.

Damned cancer, it always took the most out of her since she had to eradicate every single bad cell or risk it coming back later on. It wasn't like healing wounds, where she just repaired the damage and went on about her way; cancer was so much more tedious and time and power-consuming than that.

She slept fitfully; dreams of the silver-haired daiyoukai plagued her and she tossed and turned and wasn't at all rested when she woke, wondering if Pluto's starseed was responsible for some of the dreams. In one in particular, Sesshomaru had looked at her with a soft glint to his golden eyes, then he'd bent down and claimed her lips gently, setting her toes to curl. But in another, they'd been beating the holy hell out of each other.

She was trying to put together something for breakfast when there was a knock, and she sighed and left the pot on the little fire so she could wave her hand to clothe herself in something less fine than the kimono she wore as a goddess. "Yes?" She asked sleepily.

"Usagi-san?"

"Mm? Nani? I didn't sleep well last night, so spit it out, demon," she replied, looking Koga up and down once as if she totally didn't know him. She also used a touch of magic to subtly change her scent before he could get a good whiff of her; the last thing she needed was someone figuring out her secret.

"My name's Koga. The new miko and her mate—er, husband, whatever. She's pregnant, and there were some problems last night, but the moon goddess from the lake healed her."

"Then why in the fuck are you bothering me?" Usagi growled. She tried to slam the door shut in his face, but it was stopped by his boot. "Look, puppy, if Serenity-sama took care of her, then the miko's fine. Just follow any instructions she left and go on about your business. I'll thank her later for saving me the time and effort."

"Look, I normally don't take orders, but Kagome's brother-in-law is here and he wants her checked over by what he calls 'a proper healer.' So if you don't mind…" He spied that breakfast was cooking on her fire and grinned. "We'll even feed you if you like. Sango's over too, and she's quite the cook."

Even thousands of years after the fact, Usagi would never turn down a free meal that didn't taste like shit—namely, one that didn't taste like _she'd_ cooked it. "Deal. Let me clean up over here and get my things. You may come in while you wait."

Koga stepped inside and looked around, noting that the house was much like Kagome's. It wasn't one room like the other villager's huts and had three rooms, making it rather large by normal standards. The healer obviously did quite well for herself if she could afford such a luxury as separate rooms.

"One of them is a storeroom for all of my healing supplies," she said knowingly as she banked the fire and set the pot of covered rice to the side. "There. I'll get my bag. Just a moment."

"Eh, take your time. Like you said, Kagome's probably just fine. No matter what Sesshomaru thinks, that woman is definitely a goddess," he chuckled. "I didn't see you at the clearing last night, either. Have you ever met her?"

"Serenity and I are good friends," Usagi answered automatically. "Both of us are healers, after all. Sometimes I'll seek her advice for a particularly sick patient. There, I'm ready," she said, slinging a cloth bag over her shoulder.

Koga led her out and blinked in surprise when she stepped from the dark house into the sunlight and her unbound golden hair shimmered and glowed a little. "Wow." Then she blushed and he grinned. "Oh come on, little healer. I'm sure you're bombarded with compliments about your beauty all day long.

"I, um… keep mostly to myself unless I need to buy food in the village," she managed as she remembered that unbelievably hot kiss from the night before. Gods, Koga would be all over her if he found out she was really the moon goddess, too.

Leading the way to Kagome's house, Koga shook his head a little and couldn't take his eyes—or his nose—off the golden-haired beauty. "You're telling me that you don't have the men banging down the door to your hut every day, singing love sonnets and asking for your hand?"

"They did at first, but I chased them off pretty effectively," Usagi snorted. "I have no interest in marrying, thank you very much. I'm happy as I am." Then she looked over to see desire in his eyes and blushed bright red. "And don't you come calling either, wolf."

Koga grinned toothily at that and gave her a wink. "Fine, then. I'll just have to pursue you whenever you're out and about in the village. Though I was hoping to get a date with the goddess… that woman is something else."

"You have no idea, Koga," she snickered. "She would chew you up and spit you out." She outstripped his pace then as they neared their destination and she simply walked right into Kagome's home, smiling at the half-naked hanyou preparing breakfast. "Heh… now that's a sight I want in _**my**_ kitchen. A sexy shirtless warrior cooking me breakfast."

Inuyasha turned and frowned at her before pointing to the bedroom. "My woman's in there, healer. Though I don't think it's necessary, I want you to check her over." When she lifted a golden brow and stared at him haughtily, he growled and stood to shove at her. "Now, wench! Go!"

"The healer would most likely go if you simply asked her, whelp," advised a rich voice from the other side of the room.

Usagi blushed at the sight of Sesshomaru stepping in from the bedroom, but stayed in character and pretended she didn't know him, dropping a brief curtsy. "I assume that you are Lord Sesshomaru? The wolf mentioned that you did not believe in the goddess's healing powers… let me inform you now that if she said Kagome is healed, then she is. I can be of no further use; Serenity-sama does not fail."

"Even the mikos doubt her; she could not have been much of a goddess if they are even speaking of not venturing to the lake anymore," Sesshomaru countered, lifting a brow at the sight of grief in her eyes. "You know Serenity well," he ventured.

"She is a goddess, Sesshomaru. I know it for a fact, I've seen the full extent of her powers. And you are stupid for doubting her. Now move out of the way if you want me to confirm that Kagome is fine," she sputtered, matching his malevolent glare. When he moved she pushed past him and greeted the miko shortly before examining her. "She's fine," she said. "Do whatever the goddess ordered, and don't call me into the village again if you've had the goddess attend to her first," she snapped at the youkai. "Understood?"

Inuyasha just smirked when she came back into the main room and handed her a bowl of food. "I'm amazed the asshole didn't rip your head off."

"He can try," she snorted. "He'll find me a more formidable opponent than he expected."

Sesshomaru grunted at the sound of those words and would have rolled his eyes if he'd been anyone else; the girl was clearly just a human and would take not a bit of effort for him to break her in half. That was why he didn't even bother giving her the time of day and simply leaned against the doorway between the rooms.

"She's cute, isn't she, Sesshomaru?" Koga chuckled low enough for only other demons to hear him. "And feisty, too, just how I like them."

"That one will put you in an early grave, wolf," Sesshomaru countered with a humorless chuckle.

################################

The damned daiyoukai had been right.

Serenity's lower lip trembled when midnight came and went and no one had come to the clearing to chat with her; not even a village boy had showed up for a kiss or advice, and she felt tears of loneliness tracking down her cheeks. "I hate him," she whispered before sinking into the water to wash her face.

When she came back up, though, she was no longer alone and she blinked at the sight of the wolf youkai waiting patiently at the water's edge. "You're not yelling at me to leave?" Koga chuckled. Then he scented her sadness and realized why. "Sesshomaru's an ass, I know."

"Then why are you here?" She asked suspiciously, staying too far out for him to reach her without getting soaked.

"I came for another good luck kiss," he admitted with a grin. "I'm going to try and court the little healer on the outskirts." He waggled his brows suggestively when she frowned deeply. "What? Don't think she'll go for me? By the way she spoke, you two are friends."

"We are. And trust me, you don't have a chance with Usagi, Koga. Set your sights on someone much more attainable."

He grinned and shed his clothing with demon speed and jumped in the water as she yelped in surprise and swam further away. "Hm… do I detect a hint of jealousy, dear goddess? Did you perhaps want me for yourself?" He teased as he moved towards her.

"Hell no," she answered honestly. If she was attracted to anyone, it would be Sesshomaru, but that guy was such a prick that his looks would never make up for his personality. Hell, he'd even chased away the only company she ever kept!

"Aw… can't say I'm not disappointed. I'd offer to take your mind off of your troubles for a while, maybe change your mind about me, but wolves mate for life," he sighed. Noting the sadness that still lingered around her, he swam a little closer and cupped her face in her hands. "You're awfully lonely, megami."

"Always," she sighed, unable to deny it. She looked him in the eye then and saw compassion there… and maybe a promise of friendship and good company. "Stay with me tonight and I'll give you that kiss. But that's it," she added softly. "I hate being alone."

"Deal," Koga replied gently, dipping his face to just barely press his lips to her. "I'll get the real kiss later," he promised her with a grin. "You hungry? I've got some food in my pack, if you'd like."

"Starving, actually," she admitted. "I would have brought food with me, but the mikos usually bring some and…" She shrugged and felt her throat constricting as she tried not to cry again.

"Come on, woman. Cheer up! Remember, it can always get worse! So come up to the bank, dry off and soak in some moonlight, and I'll fix us something to eat. Sound good?"

Serenity realized that he was right and managed to let go of her depressed mood when she did as she was told and he began to tell her funny stories about his pack, launching into another whenever she looked sad. They ate and she listened to tale after tale as she soaked in the moonlight and they both laid there in the nude, neither of them really paying attention to the lack of clothing between them once the initial assessments were over.

Koga was sexy as hell, but he really wasn't her type; he simply talked too much—even more than her, in fact. But he was definitely a nice guy, even for a demon, and she found herself greatly enjoying his company. "You're welcome here anytime, wolf," Serenity said when the sun began to peek over the sky.

"Good, because I plan on coming back tomorrow! I still haven't told you about how pervy Miroku is; I was saving that one for in case you started actually crying," he snickered as he slid closer to her. "So… my payment?" He asked with a waggle of his brows.

"Kiss away, my dear wolf," Serenity giggled, unable to stop herself from feeling happy; she'd found a new friend and that made up for the departure and the doubt of the mikos. Too bad he wasn't her type. "Though I'm telling you, it won't give you a bit of luck with Usagi."

"Let me be the judge of that," he growled before pulling her naked body flush to his.

Serenity gasped when he grasped a breast the moment their mouths touched, his tongue slipping inside to stroke and tease hers as his groin mimicked the movement and thrust against her. She moaned at that and melt into him, kissing him back, and her head felt like it was spinning when he finally released her. Both of them draw in shaky lungfuls of air, Serenity's arousal perfuming the air; Koga wasn't much better off, the evidence of his own desire jutting proudly into the soft flesh of her belly. "Now that was a fucking kiss," she whispered. "But did you have to grope my tits?"

"Thought it might bring me extra luck," he growled before reaching around and massaging her ass with one hand. "Maybe that will, too." He yelped when he flew back from a burst of white light, but wound up laughing when he watched her fighting the urge to grin at him. "Ok, I deserved that! But can you blame me, beautiful?"

"No, I can't!" She admitted with a laugh.

####################################

Neither the goddess nor the wolf noticed the demon watching them from the trees, his eyes bleeding red the moment that Koga had kissed her. _Mine! _His demon had snapped, but Sesshomaru had managed to keep him in place and simply observe just as he had been since the moon had risen. The gods—the _real_ ones—only knew why he was reacting this way to her, why he felt aroused and needy whenever he laid eyes on her.

But he was going to get to the bottom of it if it killed him.

And so help him, if another male dared to kiss her like that again, he was going hunting.

**I'm not totally satisfied with this one, dunno why, but here it is! R&R if you want more! Remember, your reviews equal my motivation!**


	3. Chapter 3

**God, I spoil my readers, don't I!? Two updates in a day!? And you've got chapter four nearly complete, too!? *takes a bow* Yes, yes. I am awesome. And I type really, really fast, too. So! If you want me to update again in the next 24, I suggest that you hit the back button and take 10 seconds of your time to drop me a review for chapter 2! Please and thank you very much!**

Usagi would have liked to have said that she was surprised by Koga showing up out of nowhere and knocking on her door the next morning, but as she answered the door in a thin, nearly see-through white robe, she glowered at him and slammed the door in his face at the very sight of a bouquet of flowers. "It's too early!" She informed him. "I get up at the crack of noon, wolf!"

"I brought food!" He offered from the other side. "And word has it that you can't cook to save your life, Usagi!"

Her stomach answered her internal debate for her and she opened the door again to glare at him. "One meal. That's it. Then you leave."

Grinning broadly, Koga sauntered past her confidently and easily got her fire going. "You say that now, my lovely little healer, but I'm sure you'll be singing another tune by this evening! I have a whole planned for us and—" Koga sighed when she shot him a withering look. "Come on, give me some hope, beautiful!"

"Not only do I not even know you, I'm definitely not to type to just swoon over a stunningly good-looking man showing up with food and flowers." _Not anymore_, she added silently. Those days were centuries behind her. "And definitely not at eight in the fucking morning," she added with a grumble as she stomped to her bedroom, slammed the door, and simply waved her hand to change her clothing.

She waited a few minutes before coming back out and found him looking sad as he dished out breakfast. "I'm sorry," she managed crankily. "I've had three hours of sleep, Koga. I'm not interested in you at all, but I should have been a little nicer about it."

"Why were you up so late? Did something happen in the village?" He hadn't heard anything, but maybe someone had gotten sick on the outskirts on the east side.

"No, I was picking a certain type of lily that only blooms at night," she replied smoothly. "I crush the blooms to make a serum that soothes coughs. I saw you at the lake with the goddess last night, but since it looked like you two were about to get busy, I decided not to disturb you," she added with a little smirk. "Let me guess, you thought that fucking her would bring you luck? Or do you just like to court two women at once?"

Koga paled at that and vigorously shook his head. "Oh gods, no! You've got it wrong, Usagi! I only got a kiss from Serenity, we just happened to be naked at the time because we'd been in the lake! The kiss was for luck; wolves mate for life!"

She smiled at how he was babbling his reason for kissing her other form and took a bowl that he'd filled with steaming food. "Don't worry, I believe you. But I'm really not interested in letting anyone court me. So… how is it that you're up all bright and chipper after so little sleep?"

"Heh… all youkai need very little sleep to function. Even Inuyasha doesn't sleep as much as you'd think; a lot of nights he lies awake for a few hours and reads after Kagome's dozed off. I sleep maybe a couple times a week, and only for about four hours. Everyone's different; I've never even seen Sesshomaru sleep, for example. But I'm sure he does, just not when any of us can see him do it," he added with a chuckle.

"Fucking jackass," Usagi mumbled around a mouthful of rice. "He ran off all the mikos, and now poor Serenity is heartbroken. The only thing she wants is friendship. I'd spend time with her, but I'm typically hunting at night, either for food or for plants that only bloom during certain times."

"What kind of food do you hunt?" Koga asked curiously.

"Deer, mostly. I share the extra or trade it for rice and other things in the village. Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Oh, well… I was thinking if you maybe wanted to go hunting with me sometime…? I'd even carry your kills for you," he added hopefully. "Skin them and dress them too," he continued, praying that she'd just deign to spend some time with him. Hopefully she'd get to know him better and friendship could grow into something more.

"No," Usagi said after a moment of mulling it over. "I would be taking advantage of you, Koga. You like me, and I'm not the type of girl to ever lead a man on like that. Ever."

"Wait a second… either you're being courted by someone else, you like women, or your heart's been broken so badly that you've sworn off men. Which is it?"

Usagi's lips twitched as she thought of Haruka and Michiru, and she chewed and swallowed before answering. "All three. So forget the idea of courting me, Koga. I'm being courted by the beautiful, manly woman that takes me to the heights of ecstasy every night with her tongue."

"Damn, you've got a _mouth_ on you, woman. Too bad it's not on me," he added with a wink.

"And never will be," Usagi snorted.

"I was serious about hunting with you," Koga said after a long while of quiet, punctuated by the sounds of bellies filling with good food. "And I won't consider it being taken advantage of, either. It must be difficult for one woman living alone to provide meat, plus a surplus to sell and your work as a healer on top of it all. I'd be happy to be of assistance to you, Usagi, if only for us to get to know each other a little better."

"Fine," she sighed. "But don't you dare assume for a moment that my acceptance of your help means that you can try and get into my panties."

###########################################

"Sure you wanna do this?" Usagi asked Koga when he appeared beside her just outside her door. She was outfitted for hunting, dressed in soft leather that she'd tanned herself from her own kills, her bag slung over one shoulder and her bow and a quiver over the other.

"Wow…" Koga sighed as he looked her up and down. "You look good enough to eat, Usagi."

She just rolled her eyes and started walking off into the woods with him hot on her trail. "If you're going to make comments like that, Koga, then just go home and forget helping me. I told you, I'm not interested."

"Sorry, beautiful, just the thought of hunting gets me drooling, and for wolves, hunger of the stomach and the loins go hand-in-hand," he chuckled, not missing her slight blush as she clambered through the undergrowth.

"Shut up or you'll scare away any game," she said softly.

"Oh, hell… you want to move quietly? Hang on," he ordered with a chuckle.

Usagi watched with wide eyes as he shifted into a massive wolf, and craned her neck to look up at him. Hell, his shoulder was as high as her head. "And how is that huge ass body going to be silent?" She huffed once she'd regained use of her tongue.

"Watch and see," he replied without moving his mouth, lying down so she could stand on a stump and climb up on his back. "Hang on tight, Usa, you're so damned light that I might not notice you're gone if you fall." He waited for her to scoot up and nestle herself comfortably into his fur, her fists hanging on to the soft, fluffy hair beneath her.

"Okay, I think I'm good, Koga… but are you sure you're ok with my riding—AAAAH!" She yelped when he suddenly took off so fast that everything around them was a blur; she hadn't travelled like that since she'd driven a car during her second life!

Within moments she was squealing in delight, though, laughing happily and enjoying the wind in her face as she hugged him close, and Koga was loving every second of it. "I thought you wanted to be quiet?" He chuckled after ten miles. When she stopped laughing, she chuckled. "And to answer your question, I'd love nothing more than for you to ride me all night, beautiful. On my back as a wolf!" He added when she thumped him. "Or yours," he added with a laugh after a few minutes of listening to her mutter about yanking his sensitive ears. "But then, that would be me riding you."

"Koga, if you don't stop it right now, I'm getting off—AH! Don't you dare comment on those last three words, demon! Understand me?"

"Aw, and I had such a good reply for you, too," he snickered. "But fine, I'll keep my wolfy thoughts of mating to myself… even though it's difficult when I'm in this form. You're going into heat, you know," he added conversationally. "Ah, not a come-on, I promise you. I just thought I'd let you know. I'll have to stay away when it hits… I'd give it maybe two days at the most."

"Oh, ok. Thanks, I guess, for letting me know?" Not like it would really matter, she had no immediate future plans to get near any sensitive-nosed demons in the future.

"Welcome." Koga slowed down then as he scented a herd of deer nearby and turned mid-stride. "Stay quiet, we're close," he whispered.

They rode in silence for another half-mile, noses into the wind, and Usagi nocked an arrow and held it at the ready after sticking a second between her teeth to use immediately after. If she was fast enough, she'd be able to fell two from the same herd and save a lot of time later on, since she planned on giving one to Koga at the end of the night. She sat upright and looked through the trees when he stopped at the edge of a clearing, and she surveyed the large herd with an experienced eye; this wasn't her first rodeo, not by a long shot, and she didn't want to make the mistake of felling a pregnant or nursing doe.

She took aim at the largest buck in the group, then eyed a second as she let the first arrow fly, not even bothering to see if she'd hit it as she nocked the second arrow, led her fleeing target, and took her shot.

It all happened in the span of less than two seconds, and Koga had to admit he was impressed. Few hunters that weren't demons could take down more than one deer that quickly. "Is that it, or do we need more?" He asked curiously, drooling at the scent of blood and all that meat just lying there. They were both clean kills, and he blinked to see that she'd actually shot them both right through the eye. "Nice shooting," he whistled.

"Why thank you!" Usagi giggled as she slipped down and landed in a crouch, drawing her knife.

"I'll clean them," Koga offered once he'd shifted back to his human form, drawing his own blade. "You just sit there and start a fire, and we'll both have a fresh venison steak," he chuckled.

"Huh, I thought you'd eat them raw," Usagi admitted.

"I love 'em raw, but I thought I'd refrain from disgusting you with the way I wolf 'em down," he replied with a wink as she retrieved and cleaned her arrows. "They call it 'wolfing them down' for a reason, you know."

"I'd rather not find out why," she said warmly, already starting a fire. Once his back was turned, she just used her powers to get it going and soon had it hot and blazing. "Here, give me a haunch and I'll—"

"Nope! You said it yourself, woman, you can't cook to save your life! And while I'm not insanely great at it, one thing I can cook is meat on a campfire."

"Suit yourself," Usagi said with a shrug, moving to gut the second deer and clean it. It was a lot easier to do that than drag the whole damned thing back, and she was careful not to waste much as she piled the offal and other unusable bits at the edge of the clearing. Hopefully a bear or something would come along and eat them, she had no use for them even though she really hated being wasteful.

Koga was already cooking a couple juicy cuts of meat on a makeshift spit, and he wasn't the only one drooling when the scent hit her nose. "Oh my dear gods, I haven't had meat cooked like this in a long time. I usually wind up burning them black," she commented as she took a seat beside him.

"I don't suppose I could sneak a kiss in exchange for cooking your supper?" He asked softly, his green eyes sparkling with hope in the firelight.

Usagi was poised to tell him no when she suddenly felt his lips on hers, but when she expected one of the hard, raw kisses he'd given her as Serenity, she was surprised to merely feel his lips moving gently over hers. "Don't do that again," she whispered when he pulled away, her heart fluttering at how tender he'd been during those few seconds of contact. "Koga, I'm serious… please, please don't do that again. I like you, but not like that."

"Ok, fine," he growled. "Who is he? Tell me now and I'll just forget about it, I swear. But give me a name, Usagi."

"There really isn't anyone," she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I just… it's difficult to explain, ok? Simply put, I'm done with men. I'm sorry if that sounds like it does, but it's true. I've been through too much to just stick my heart out there again, and I refuse to get it broken one more time. So please just don't, ok Koga? I'd really hate to have to leave the village because you won't take no for an answer."

"Alright," he sighed. Gods, she'd really go that far? If that was true, then he'd back off, and maybe he'd find the love he was searching for in one of those cute mikos. "Just friends, then. Good friends, though… ok? Not many would just accept a youkai for what he is like you do… why is that, anyway?"

"I don't judge by race or appearance," she said simply. "I judge by deeds. And so far you're not bad… for a wolf demon. Inuyasha seemed liked a nice guy, too," she added as she laid back and stared up at the moon, wishing she was in the lake and surrounded by her miko friends.

Koga noted that she seemed awfully sad and lonely and sighed internally, not wanting to comment on his observations and upset her. "Here. Yours is about done," he offered.

Usagi held out a bowl from her bag and sat back up to eat, her eyes closing in bliss at the first bite of steak. "Ermahgod," she said with her mouth full. "Ish pah-fuct!"

"Hahaha… you just said 'paw fucked…' It brings to mind so many different wolf jokes that I'm about to pee myself!" Koga laughed loudly. "It's similar to fisting!" He elaborated when she shot him a confused look.

Usagi choked a little on her food and her blue eyes widened at the thought. "Oh my fucking gods… but your claws!"

"A lot of lube," he joked as he started in on his own steak, enjoying the sound of her laughter. He took the first bite and groaned happily, but paused before taking a second when he saw her pull a jar out of her pack and sprinkle something on her food. "Wazzat?"

"Seasoning that I made myself. I can't cook, but I'm a healer that loves to eat, so I know what herbs are the best. Wanna try some? Here," she offered, handing him her bowl. "Take a bite and see if you like it or not."

Koga bent his head and nibbled on the edge, and his green eyes twinkled happily. He tasted salt, but the tangy, spicy blend added to it really sang on his tongue. "Oh hells yeah, Usa. Give me that jar." Within moments he was devouring the steak and marveling at how good that seasoning was, and once they were done eating, Usagi pulled a second sack out of the first and started loading up the usable parts of the deer, neatly folding the pelts and stowing them away in a third.

"You sure you're ok with carrying this much meat?" She asked. "I was hoping to take down a third deer, but I'm frankly getting tired. I guess I'll go back out tomorrow night."

"Three?" He asked. "Why three?"

"I was going to give you one for all your help," she admitted with a shrug.

"Fuck that, just take the two and give me a jar of that seasoning in exchange. That stuff is delicious." With that, he pecked her on the cheek and transformed, lying down so she could climb on. He ran at full speed just to hear her squealing with delight again, and when he slid to a stop in front of her house, he growled at the waiting inu daiyoukai. "What do you want, Sesshomaru? You've annoyed the healer enough, don't you think?"

"She gave this one the impression that she was close to Serenity. This Sesshomaru thought to ask her about the false goddess's whereabouts. She is not at the lake."

"The fuck do you care where she is!?" Usagi snapped at him as she landed on the ground. "She hates your guts and you are a despicable creature! Get off my land this instant! You're a bad dog!" When he only snarled at her, she drew an arrow and it glowed softly with reiki. "You heard me, demon. Get out of here. You're not welcome."

"Sesshomaru, I think she's serious," Koga rumbled, keeping his demon form just in case the inu retaliated and Usagi needed him for backup. "You'd best go… hell, what do you want with Serenity anyway?"

"To see if she is prepared to fight me as we had planned… though this one suspects that she fled like a coward." Sesshomaru flinched when an arrow pierced his shoulder and the healer's reiki seared in his veins. He growled and drew Bakusaiga then, his eyes bleeding as red as his wound.

"The next one is through your black heart if you don't leave right now, demon," Usagi warned, nocking another arrow and charging it. This time it was fully powered and not just a warning shot. If she fired, she would not miss, and she would most definitely kill him. "Last one was a warning shot, mutt. The only thing that poor goddess wanted was friends! Just friends! She's without equal, the kindest and loneliest person I have ever met in my life, but you just had to make the mikos doubt her claims of godhood and drive them off. So… get off my land right now, and don't you dare show your face here again."

Sesshomaru felt his inner demon rising, but rather than urging him to bathe in her blood, it was telling him not to harm her, to back off and leave her be. Did his beast… want her, too? Like it did the goddess?

The daiyoukai was not a stupid man by any sense of the word, and he swiftly took a step back, sheathed his sword, and looked at her long and hard for a minute, studying her closely from head to toe. There was no way in hell that his demon would ever be attracted to two women at the same time… not like that, anyway. And the more he thought it over, the more he suspected that Usagi and Serenity were the exact same person.

But her scent, while alluring and delicious, was not the same as Serenity's. Not even close. Perhaps he could be attracted to two at the same time if their features were similar? "Tell Serenity that this Sesshomaru wishes to speak with her… if she is not too afraid of me, that is."

Usagi sneered at him nastily when he backed up a little further, but something overcame her when he moved to pull the arrow from his chest. "Stop," she ordered. "Snap it off from at the chest and pull out the shaft or you'll only cause more damage. Then get out and find a different healer. You're bleeding on my grass."

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"And then she fucking _**shot**_ him!" Koga cackled as he doled out fresh meat onto plates for everyone, including Sesshomaru. After much nagging, he'd finally taken half a deer home with him, but only because Usagi had threatened to shoot him if he continued to be stubborn, and she'd given him a jar of that seasoning from her storage room as well.

"I'm amazed she's alive… wait. She is alive, right?" Kagome asked with a tinge of panic to her voice.

"For now," Sesshomaru growled, holding still so that Sango could finish bandaging his shoulder. "This one will deal with her another day." How he dealt with her, though, he didn't know. Not when he suspected why his beast was reacting to her so strongly. Just thinking about it made him even more furious, but he'd save it for the next day he saw her.

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That day wasn't going to be the next, though, or even the one after; unknown to everyone in Kagome's house, a rider was knocking at the healer's door urgently, holding a second steed by the reins. It was the fastest horse in his village, and he'd kept it fresh just for this journey.

"Yes?" Usagi asked as she opened the door, freshly bathed and dressed in a cotton kimono.

"There is a village three days east of here where an illness has broken out, and it is consuming man, woman and child alike. We need a healer desperately, Usagi-sama, please come with me, I'm begging you."

"Give me five minutes," she said quickly, leaving the door open as she rushed inside, grabbed her travelling healer's bag—which was also packed with clothing and preserved food—and rushed into the store room to use her powers over ice to keep the meat frozen for a month. "I'm ready," she said, walking past him and mounting the horse he was holding for her.

"Just go," he urged her. "Ride east to the next village. My horse is nearly dead from exhaustion and I'd never be able to keep up with you."

Leaning over in the seat, Usagi filled his horse with her light and nodded. "He is fully refreshed now. Let's go," she ordered before spurring her mount towards the rising moon.

**For those of you that are asking, "holy shit, did she REALLY fucking shoot Sesshomaru and live to tell the tale?" YES AND YES! MWUHUHAHAHAHAHA! And for the sake of argument, Koga would have tried to take him for reals if he'd attacked Usa.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I love yall's reviews so much! :D Please leave more, they keep me motivated! And motivation equals frequent updates!**

The scent of the horse he'd been following for half a day drew him to an inn, and Koga snarled loudly when he opened the door and could smell no signs of Usagi. "Where is she!?" He snapped at the samurai that smelled like the horse he'd tracked.

The older man blinked for a moment, his cup of sake frozen just below his lips, then took in the fairly scary sight of the wolf demon, whose eyes were beginning to bleed red a little. "The healer?" When Koga snarled and nodded, he pointed back towards the road. "She rode so hard that my horse couldn't keep up. My horse is resting right now, and I'll continue on behind her tomorrow morning."

"Where did she go!?" Koga snapped, striding forward, his hand closing around the man's throat before he could stop himself. Then he realized what he was doing and the fact that he could hardly get any answers if his informant couldn't breathe. The wolf loosened his grip then. "Where?" He whispered dangerously.

"The—the next—ack… village. East. A day… on horseback… There's an… an illness. She was… ugh… our only hope. Still can't… breathe…"

Koga released him then and without so much as an apology or a goodbye, he was out the door and running as fast as he could towards the next village… and Usagi.

A day his ass, on foot Koga was the fastest of all the youkai, and he'd be there in half that. And when he got there, his little healer would have an awful lot of explaining to do.

He'd come to her home in the evening to see if she needed any help tanning the hides, only to find her gone, and had assumed that she'd gone out for more herbs, or maybe to heal someone in the village and simply not returned yet. But after waiting until sunrise, he'd gone inside, sniffed around, and had picked up the two-day old scent of her urgency and worry. And combined with the scents of a man outside—before he'd merely thought that smell to be a customer—and what seemed to be two horses, he assumed that she'd been abducted despite the lack of evidence indicating a struggle.

At least now he could breathe a little easier, knowing that she'd gone willingly and was likely safe, still en route to the village… but his concern was quickly giving way to ire, knowing that she'd left without sending him word so that he wouldn't worry.

Oh… his little healer was going to sit down with him that very evening and have a nice, long chat with him about the protocol that came with befriending a demon, even if she'd made it known that she wasn't interested in mating with him.

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Usagi was fighting not to doze off in the saddle as she continued to feed the horse her power so that he would never know exhaustion during their journey. They had outstripped the samurai that had come for her over a day ago; the goddess simply hadn't enough reiki to spare to keep his horse fresh as well as hers, plus enough energy to heal the worst of the sick upon her arrival to the village.

So she had stopped just long enough to pee and had given him money for lodging, as well as all of the food she'd brought but for enough to feed her horse. She was no stranger to ignoring her body's needs during an emergency such as this, since it wasn't the first time she'd been forced to ride hard for days to heal the sick in another village, but she knew she was really pushing it this time.

Three days in the saddle had produced sores on her backside, and the absence of sleep and food while she used her powers steadily on the horse had her looking gaunt. Her eyes were glassy with fatigue, the bags beneath them dark, and unless she was supporting her wrist on the saddle, the hand holding the reins trembled uncontrollably.

She was almost there, though, she could sense the starseeds of the sick, the younger, brighter ones calling to her in particular, especially one that was about to extinguish. _Hang on, _she whispered to that child, hoping that he could hear her. _Just hold on a little while longer, love… I'm coming to make it all better._

Wanting to keep her word, Usagi silently communicated with the horse, and it assured her that it could continue on without further power from her. Her mount knew the path well, and it poured on the speed since they were so close to the village.

The houses came into view after an hour of the horse flat-out running, its flanks and mouth frothing from the exertion, but it was a true testament to strength as it continued at such a breakneck pace before sliding to a stop in front of the home that Usagi pointed to. She dismounted smoothly and simply entered without fanfare, sliding to her knees in front of the child who was slipping away.

"Keep hanging on for me, honey," she urged him, her voice thick with tears of relief as she poured her healing powers into his frail body, flatly ignoring the voices of a man and a woman questioning her hotly. "I made it, just as I promised. I made it. Just hang on."

He was still slipping though, and she was distracted by someone pulling at her and another at the boy, so she started yelling and slapping at hands as she resolved to just let go and go for broke.

She didn't have time to worry about people asking questions; this child was completely beyond saving unless she used her full powers, so she shoved the bawling mother out of the way so that she was the only one making physical contact with him. "Don't touch him!" She ordered as her eyes shifted to silver and she flooded him with her light, tears pricking her eyes at the feeling of him starting to let go.

The boy was on death's door, but she'd never lost a patient and wasn't about to start now. "Hang on, sweetie," she breathed aloud and in his mind. "Auntie Usa's got you, just keep breathing."

Koga burst in then, directed to that house by the feeling of her flaring reiki, and gawked at the sight of the golden-haired healer being engulfed in silver light, the crescent moon flaring to life upon her forehead and flashing so brightly that the room was too brilliant for human eyes to bear. He was wondering if she was related to Serenity somehow, or perhaps another goddess, only masquerading as a human, when Usagi suddenly collapsed in a heap on the floor.

He was at her side in less than a second, cradling her to his chest as the child on the bed sat up and looked around and his parents rushed to hold him. "How in the hell…?" That was when he smelled it, and he growled down at her softly. "You were Serenity the entire time. You were masking your scent with your powers, weren't you?"

Usagi just whimpered and trembled as her eyes flickered slowly back to blue. "Need food…"

"You don't need moonlight?" Koga inquired as he saved his anger for later and hauled her up to carry her over to the fire, where the mother of the boy had been cooking earlier.

"No… I'd be fine in this form, but I haven't eaten in… I don't know how long. I rode too hard and too long," she whispered weakly. "Someone… someone needs to check the horse… such a brave horse…" Usagi's eyes slipped shut, and she didn't protest the way he was holding her; she even opened her mouth when she felt a spoon pressing to her lips and ate.

Eventually Koga nipped at her ear in warning when she struggled after twenty minutes. "I'll check the horse when you can walk again," he promised when she muttered something about her mount. "Hold still and eat, woman. If you're well enough to fight, you're well enough for me to scream at you. And believe me, there's going to be a _lot_ of screaming, and for once I don't mean the kind that involves coming. And the two of you would do well to keep silent on this matter," he added with a snarl when the parents carried their child over and sat down across from them. "She healed him, therefore she can take it back if you run your mouths."

"Koga," Usagi protested hotly, only to be cut off by a pair of lips crashing into her own, the feeling of his tongue stroking over hers setting her on fire. Gods, the man could fucking kiss!

"They don't have to know that you'd never do it," he breathed in her ear. "And I swear by all that is good and holy, Usagi," he added a little louder as he forced her to make eye contact with him, "if you ever try anything like that again without eating properly first, I will string you up and make you pay for it."

"Fine," she sighed. "And stop kissing me!" She added loudly, hoping that she'd hurt his sensitive ears. "I've already made it clear that I don't like you like that, Koga!"

"I know," he growled as he thought of how Sesshomaru obviously wanted the moon goddess. "So don't remind me. And whether or not you accept my advances, you said that we were friends. You don't run off anywhere without informing me first, you understand that!?"

Usagi flinched at his volume and tone and bared her teeth at him in a very youkai gesture of anger. "You are not my mother, Koga! I can go wherever I damned well please!"

"I never said you couldn't go, Usagi! I only asked that you tell me beforehand or at least leave a fucking note so that I don't worry myself sick over you! I thought you'd been kidnapped!"

"Oh…" She softened at that and sagged into his arms. So he wasn't just mad or jealous or anything… he'd been worried about her. "Koga, I'm sorry. You're right; I should have left a note or something."

"Excuse me?"

Koga and Usagi both looked over to see the little brown-eyed boy smiling at them, and despite her guilt and his lingering anger, they both returned it toothily. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"Maho is sick, too," he said, quickly frowning. "Silver lady, would you please go make her better again?"

Usagi nodded and sat up, but she didn't stand when Koga snarled at her protectively. "Koga, please. I have enough power for another healing, and I won't let a child suffer. But… if it makes you feel better, you can carry me, ok?" She gave him her best wide-eyed pleading look, and inwardly grinned when he made a frustrated noise and scooped her up.

"Alright, kid. Show us where she is," Koga ordered, letting the child lead him from the house as he carefully cradled his cargo to his chest.

Maho was nearly as bad off as the little boy was, whose name turned out to be Kota. And he clearly loved his friend dearly, but made sure not to hover when Usagi and Koga separated and instructed the mother not to touch the child while she was being healed.

Another break for food was taken after that, and Maho's mother fed them all generously, giving Koga a soft smile and a wink at the sight of the way he was fussing over the healer and insisting on feeding her himself. "You two are adorable," she sighed. "Reminds me of myself and my husband as youngsters."

Usagi turned beet red at that and vigorously shook her head. "No, Koga and I are just friends, I swear it! You've got it all wrong."

Rolling his eyes, Koga just sighed and kissed her brow. "It would be more if she was interested," he informed Maho's giggling mother. He scooped her up again soon after that, and the two spent the night moving from house to house, healing the sick and eating like pigs whenever they felt hungry.

"I think we ate them out of their winter stores," Koga snickered once they were finished, on their way to the hot springs nearby to wash up. He waited to make sure Usagi was securely sitting in the water before shedding his own clothing and joining her, sighing with pleasure as his aching muscles warmed after a full day's run and then carrying the healer all night long. He noted that Usagi was dozing after a while of just relaxing, and woke her with a little shake. "You need help washing?"

"Yeah," she admitted wearily. "And then… I hate to confess, but I don't think I can walk all the way back," she sighed. "I'm so tired, Koga."

"I'll take care of you, Usa," he breathed in her ear from behind as he took a soapy rag and began to wash her gently. "Even if you don't want me, I'll still take care of you. Promise."

"I'm sorry, Koga… I really am," she sighed mournfully. Gods, he was such a nice guy, but she just didn't want him like that. And when she thought of who she might be interested in physically, the answer shocked, revolted, and aroused her all at once. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Sesshomaru hated her as much as she hated him, but… gods, the thought of feeling that warm skin sliding over hers as he kissed her and filled her up…

"Heh… alright, I have to know who it is you're thinking about, Usa. Gods, I'm jealous, but you did say you were done with men altogether. So who is he? You can tell me, you know. I won't say a word, I swear it." Koga laughed at the sight of how red her cheeks were and patted her on the back. "Does he even know?"

"Er… uh…" Serenity coughed at the very thought of speaking his name and vigorously shook her head. "Um, no… he doesn't know. And he won't, that's for damn certain," she added in an embarrassed mutter. "I'd definitely kill him before I'd ever fuck him."

Blue eyes shooting wide, Koga stopped washing her feet beneath the water and stared at her in shock. "Please tell me that you're not talking about that stick-in-the-ass daiyoukai! Gods, Usa! You officially have the worst fucking taste in men!"

"Alright, I'll admit that that's _definitely_ true. It's something about the prick gene. They have to be the most insufferable assholes on the planet in order for me to love them. Heero was the worst to date," she sighed. "And he proved it even further when he left me. But… that's just Heero. He was never the type for a relationship," she added, fighting the tears that came to her eyes. Damn it, she always cried too easily when she was exhausted.

"You loved him." That observation made Koga reel with jealousy, but he shook it off; she didn't want him, she'd made that clear, and it was getting more and more apparent that she wasn't ever going to change her mind about it. Might as well just give up the notion of courting her.

"I loved them all… Koga, I'm over two thousand years old. I've had my share of lovers, you know. At least… as Serenity or Cosmos," she added when he sniffed her and lifted a brow. Undoubtedly, he could smell the innocence of her second incarnation. Usagi turned slightly and purred with pleasure as he wordlessly began to wash her hair, but she could practically hear the gears in his mind turning and near to exploding with questions. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, ok?"

"About?"

"L was a notorious liar and left me. Atem sealed himself inside of a puzzle to save his world despite how long and hard I begged him not to. Heero, you know about. Sebastian was a demon and in the end he simply couldn't come to terms with my powers over the light. Alucard was much the same, but even though he was usually cold and absolutely ruthless towards his enemies, I think he honestly really tried to get comfortable with my powers. I know he loved me, but he just couldn't overcome his aversion to my light. Vincent died protecting me when the Lifestream in his world went haywire. Dean died protecting me from a youma that had crossed over into his dimension. Sabin grew old and died after we had many happy years together." Usagi took a deep breath before continuing. "Logan, Bruce, Zuko and Soul all died. And Amidamaru was technically dead already," she added with a tiny smile. "And Mamoru, my first love… he died before the great battle of my world was even fought and the planet and everyone on it was destroyed."

She noted Koga's wide eyes and the touch of fear and intimidation in them. "See what I mean, now? Trust me, Koga… by refusing you, I'm doing you a service. I do all men a service by no longer letting myself fall in love. It only ends badly for both parties."

"Usa," he finally managed, sighing as he kissed her clean forehead, "you are a brave, brave woman. And I'm sorry. Honestly, I'd offer you some comfort right now and nothing more, but you know that my kind mate for life." He grinned when she offered him a shaky smile. "But Sesshomaru? Seriously? Gods, woman! That's it, I've decided! You're secretly some sort of masochist."

"I think you might be right," she admitted wryly. "Sesshomaru actually whacked my ass when I annoyed him the last time, and…" She turned bright red as she shook her head.

"Oooo… someone's into spanking!?" Koga teased, laughing his head off at the very idea.

"Apparently. I swear I never knew that about myself before last week. I'm actually very vanilla in bed considering how old I am and how many things I've experienced." She rubbed at her eyes then and sagged into the water, suddenly unable to fight her exhaustion any longer.

"Alright, that's enough talk, beautiful," Koga said firmly, scooping her to his chest tightly. "Come on, you can bed down in my fur for the night, and then we can make sure you got all the sick people in the morning. Deal?"

The only thing she could manage was a nod before dozing off as soon as she was dry and he was carrying her deep into the woods, both of them completely unaware of the red-ringed golden eyes watching them closely.

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So, she _was _Serenity. Well, that explained an awful lot and actually sent a hint of relief coursing through Sesshomaru as he perched silently in a tree and watched the woman his beast was fixated on sleep, curled up warmly in the tail fur of Koga's demonic body. And gods above, he was _jealous_! _How any other male deals with this ridiculous emotion is beyond my knowledge, _he thought to himself.

But still, it was there, and Sesshomaru was trying to mentally come to terms with the notion that his jealousy would only go away if he took her for himself. Never had his inner demon reacted like this to any female. Sure, he'd felt aroused when scenting another inu youkai's heat coming on, and he'd even acted on the arousal many, many times in his life. But never had he desired a female so strongly that he actually felt angry over the idea of her coupling with another male.

And her story had only made it even worse; so many men had had her before, and apparently very few of them bothered to appreciate her. Maybe he could offer her physical comfort and finally get her out of his system. After all, he'd never mated with any female more than once—as was inu custom—so surely he could just fuck her senseless for a single night and be rid of all of these damnable, foreign emotions. And she would be greatly pleasured in return, and perhaps it would do her some good as well in the long run.

"Yes," he whispered to himself. "That is what this Sesshomaru shall do. On the morrow, I shall make her no longer revile me so… and then I shall have her and rid myself of this unbecoming jealousy."

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Relief came for Usagi the very next morning when she was healing an elderly man and someone came inside to inform her that a female youkai had just arrived, toting a sick child, and that she was threatening to slaughter her way to healer if the villagers didn't move out of her way. Sure, the villagers thought they were protecting Usagi from a demon, but she just ordered them to let her in and silenced the owner of the home she was in with a scathing look. "All are welcome in my presence if they require healing, so long as they do no harm," she said regally.

The red-headed female came into the house swiftly, cradling a girl that was shivering despite the blankets wrapped tightly about her body. "I am Ayame," she said as she unwrapped the demon child and laid her out in front of Usagi. "This is my niece, Chiyo. She's hanyou, and took ill with whatever is plaguing the humans of this area. Can you heal her?" She added shakily, her worry showing through.

"Yes, Ayame," Usagi assured her gently, already lowering her healing hands to Chiyo's head and chest. "Just relax, she's not as far gone as you think. She's actually only halfway through all the stages of the disease, she's really quite the little fighter. She must be the pride of your pack."

"She is," Ayame replied. "Despite her human father's lineage, she's one of the fastest in the pack and she has promise to be an equally good fighter and hunter."

"Your sister mated with a human?"

The familiar, incredulous voice made Ayame turn her head and her green eyes widened at the sight of Koga. "Koga? I can't believe I was so out of it that I didn't smell you…"

"It's alright," he chuckled, pointing to Chiyo. "You were a little preoccupied with much more important things than me," he told her with a saucy wink.

"Auntie Aya? Where are we?" Big green eyes so much like her own blinked up at Ayame, and she beamed happily at the child and immediately hugged her tightly.

"Chiyo! How do you feel, baby? All better?" When the little girl nodded emphatically, the wolf youkai hugged Usagi tightly, tugging her into her and Chiyo's embrace. "Thank you," she said tearfully, "I was terrified that she was going to die before I got her to a healer, and when I heard that a powerful one was in the village I came as fast as I could."

"Shh, it's ok, Ayame. She's just fine. So… you know Koga?" Usagi asked curiously.

Ayame blushed at that and glanced to find Koga's eyes twinkling as he carefully studied her from head to toe, clearly more interested in her than he'd ever been when they were younger and he'd decided not to marry her. "Koga and I were once… very close. But it didn't work out," she said diplomatically.

Koga inwardly let out a guilty sigh and gave Usagi a tiny shrug. "We were engaged when we were much, much younger. Our paths went in different directions, however."

Seeing the love in Ayame's eyes as she discreetly looked at Koga out of the corner of her eye, Usagi smiled and gave Chiyo a pat on the back and shot them all a winning smile. "Well, I'm done for the day, I think. Everyone in the village is healed, so I'm going to the hot springs… why don't you two stay here? I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on?"

"Usa, are you sure you don't want some company?" Koga asked seriously. "I'd feel better if you didn't go alone."

"Oh… she's your mate. I'm sorry, I didn't know," Ayame said, quickly taking her eyes off of Koga's perfect body. "I apologize if I seemed… forward, Usagi-sama. I meant no disrespect. You're a very lucky youkai."

Usagi giggled at that and vigorously shook her head. "No, no, no! I'm not Koga's mate, nor am I a youkai, I promise! I'm very single and just… different," she offered. "But not a youkai. Now, I'm going to take a bath, have someone fetch me if anyone starts showing symptoms, kay?"

#############################

Pinning her hair up in looped odangos to keep it dry, Usagi finally slipped out of her thin bathing robe and into the steaming water, sighing in utter pleasure as she felt the day's sweat and dirt slide right off of her skin. "Now this is just orgasmic," she purred.

Little did she know, a pair of flat yellow eyes had watched her hungrily since she'd come into view, and the beast behind them was licking its chops at the sound of the relaxation in her voice. That pair of eyes did not belong to Sesshomaru, though; the aforementioned youkai was watching the beast hanging in the tree intently, waiting patiently to take it out before it hurt the little healer in the spring.

He was crafty about it, though; he could _easily_ destroy the minor demon hanging in the other tree, but then Usagi would never know about it. So he would wait just long enough for it to **try** and attack her, and _then_ Sesshomaru would come to the rescue and hopefully she wouldn't hate his guts anymore. And then he could make with his plan to seduce the hell out of her and get the urge to ravish her out of his daiyoukai system.

Staying silent and completely undetected by the other demon that wanted to eat her—but in an entirely different manner than the inu lord did—Sesshomaru waited nearly an hour until Usagi was rising up in the water, washing those lightly tanned, perfect breasts, and fought down the urge to drop down and take her right there when the beast in the tree swooped down on leathery wings.

Usagi screamed, and her reiki surrounded her immediately in reaction to her fear, but when she didn't feel an impact with the barrier, she cracked open her eyes to find Sesshomaru crouching at the edge of the spring, the blade in his hand dripping with demon blood. Her attacker was cleanly decapitated, bleeding onto the grass, and the healer could only tremble and stare owlishly at the sight while Sesshomaru gracefully cleaned his sword and sheathed it.

"You are unharmed?"

That broke her out of her stupor, and she blinked before licking her suddenly dry lips and nodding slightly. That was when she realized that her body was exposed from the waist up and she hurriedly hid her breasts from his view with her hands. "What in the fresh hell are you doing here!?"

"This one was asked by the hanyou and Rin to find you. You disappeared without warning, and then the wolf as well. They wanted to be sure that you were safe."

Feeling herself slipping back onto better footing, Usagi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I shot you. And you don't want to kill me. Explain."

"This one would not risk upsetting Rin," he ground out. "I thought about it, however. Might I suggest a truce of sorts… senseless grudges that do not end in slaughter are not worth my time."

"Apologize to Serenity. Sincerely," Usagi said immediately, her lips twitching up in a smirk when he growled and glared at her. "And then you can explain to the mikos that you were wrong, and that they were also wrong to doubt that she is a goddess. Then we discuss a truce. Until then, you can go fuck yourself!" She added brightly.

"This one shall never apologize for something that he was not mistaken about. Serenity is not a goddess," he replied flatly. "Beautiful, powerful and intriguing… but not a deity."

Usagi looked away at that and blushed, trying her best to hide it. He thought she was beautiful? Not only that, but he was intrigued by her? No, damn it! No, no, no! She was through with men altogether, especially men like that! "My counteroffer stands," she finally said firmly. "Apologize to Serenity and speak with the mikos."

"This Sesshomaru is curious. The mikos doubted her so easily; I merely accused her of not being a goddess, and they and have returned since that night… but Serenity would still have them as companions? This one finds them suspiciously fickle and would not deign to keep their company. They are most unloyal."

"I told you before, dog. Serenity just wants friends and companionship. She's lonely. Wouldn't you be lonely without Rin? Hell, even without your brother and his mate?"

Sesshomaru inwardly rolled his eyes; he wanted to take her so badly that he was actually considering telling her the truth. But he avoided it and changed the subject back to her, and wondered briefly if he should disclose that he knew she was really Serenity in some sort of disguise. No, this was too much fun, he'd play it out as it was and see what happened when she figured out that he knew or he decided to tell her. "It is this one's opinion that Serenity may want to reevaluate her choices in company. If she is truly a goddess, surely she would prefer the company of those far more loyal than a bunch of giggling, fickle human girls."

"Serenity is used to such things," Usagi whispered, her voice soft and sad. "And she figures that the good of their company outweighs the fact that humans are quick to doubt. As are some judgmental, asinine daiyoukai," she added bitterly.

Feeling a pang of guilt at the sight of her misery, Sesshomaru acknowledged her words with a brief nod. "This one is not used to sugar-coating things. And it was never my intention to hurt you, Usagi."

The understanding in his eyes made her briefly wonder if he knew… but no, she checked with her powers and found her scent to still be well concealed; better to be safe than sorry, and the fact that she'd used her magic that morning had definitely come in handy that afternoon. She nearly accepted what had sounded almost like an apology, but no, he'd done too much damage. "Say you're sorry to Serenity, demon. Then you may consider our grudge to be over. But I thank you for guarding me as I bathed… if that was what you were doing… even though I could have easily defended myself…"

"That has to be the most sarcastic thank you that I have ever received," Sesshomaru mused aloud, his lips twitching up in a smirk. Gods, he hoped the rest of her was as pleasing as her sharp wit. "Nevertheless, you are welcome. Might this one wash the blood from his kimono while he is here? There seems to be plenty of room in the hot spring."

"No," Usagi snorted, turning bright red at the very thought of him naked… and within reach… and naked… and unclothed and—oh, wait. That meant naked, too. _Stop fixating on him being naked, you stupid bitch! _She screamed at herself. _He can't be that fucking hot under all that silk!_

"You are a virgin," Sesshomaru chuckled. "Your hesitancy to share the spring with an experienced male is understandable."

"Hey! I shared with Koga last night! I even let him help wash me!" Usagi protested. "My being a virgin has nothing to do with it."

"Ah, but this Sesshomaru begs to differ. I said 'experienced.' And since his kind mate for life, he is most definitely lacking what this one does not." The inu lord couldn't have been more pleased with her reaction if he tried; Usagi's red face grew impossibly brighter, and she actually sank down in the water up to the bridge of her nose, her wide blue eyes trained on him like a deer looked at an oncoming car.

"Since this one hears no further objections…" He drawled, smoothly removing his kimono, seemingly unaware of the way her eyes got even wider and trailed down his perfect, muscular chest. Sesshomaru felt quite naughty as he slowly stripped, turning the simple removal of his clothing into something slow, seductive, and – in Usagi's eyes— very, very hot.

His fundoshi went last, but he was careful to make sure his beast was in check before he removed it and took his time slipping into the water, giving the blonde on the other side of the spring a good, long look at what he had to offer. "My, healer… this one is awfully impressed with your ability to hold your breath underwater… it has been nearly five minutes since you have come up for air. Are you positive that you are fully human? Or are you hiding a secret like Serenity is?"

Normally, Usagi would have come up immediately, but her brain was still frozen in place as the image of him fully bared sat on pause and she committed it to memory. Gods, that was totally in the spank bank for the rest of her endless, immortal life.

"Are you drowning, Usagi? Do you require what the miko calls 'mouth to mouth?'"

She actually heard those words, since her mind had slowly begun to reboot and process once more, and the seductive purr in his voice had her sucking in a breath of water in utter surprise, and she was jumping up suddenly, hacking and coughing and spitting out water onto the grass.

She yelped loudly when she felt a hand slide onto her back and pat it in the center; he was touching her! "AH! YOU'RE NAKED! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"This Sesshomaru has seen the miko do it whenever someone is choking. I thought it might aid your breathing. I have also seen her do chest compressions on those who have drowned; do you require such aid?"

That was when she realized that she was standing up and completely naked, and she squealed as she dove back into the water and swam as far from him as she could get. "No! You stay right over there!" She ordered. _Along with that godlike body and that dick as big as my forearm! _She added mentally.

"Heh… while this one has been assured that he is very well-endowed, it is _hardly_ that large," he drawled, his sexy baritone sending a shiver up her spine.

"Did I actually say that out loud?" She whimpered. His smug grin confirmed it, she'd totally lost control of the volume for her inner voice. "Enjoy your bath!" She said quickly, leaping out of the spring with a speed that hinted towards her true identity, throwing on her robe just as fast.

Sesshomaru grinned toothily as he watched her swift retreat towards the village, and wondered with amusement if she'd realize before she got there that her thin, white robe was soaked because she hadn't dried off, and completely, absolutely see-through.

**And the seduction BEGINS! Sesshomaru is on a mission to get LAID! MWUHUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh! And if you can guess all of the different men Usagi loved and which fandom/show/whatever they're from, I'll try to figure out a little something cool for you or fulfill some sort of doable scene in this fic. I dunno, I'll PM you and we'll figure something out. DO NOT GOOGLE IT, THOUGH! THAT'S CHEATING AND NO FUN!**


	5. Chapter 5

**BIG thanks to Eiahlaie for all her help betaing this chapter for me! Sesshy's Mistress wasn't feeling well, so my best Aussie friend in the world (my only one) read this over while she regaled me with tales of the bird-eating spider and the huntsman when I freaked out telling her about the hand-sized (yes, it was THAT FUCKING BIG) hogna wolfspider that crawled up my neck last night. So! On with the show, she has assured me that Sesshy is IC for this since his beast is a little nutso.**

Thankfully for Usagi, she had realized halfway to the village that her robe was absolutely transparent, and she blushed before using her powers over Mars to dry herself, then waved a hand to change into a light, airy kimono decorated with sakura blossoms. "Sexy, arrogant, mean-ass…" The list went on and on as she muttered to herself and walked at the same time, but she brightened a little when she saw Ayame and Koga standing awfully close and speaking with each other in hushed tones.

_Yay! I'd do a happy dance if I thought no one would see me! _

"You smell like Sesshomaru," Koga rumbled from behind her once she was back inside the village.

"Ugh…" Pinching the bridge of her nose, Usagi vigorously shook her head and recounted how the inu had saved her. "And then… I swear, I don't know if he was doing it on purpose… but I think he was either trying to seduce me, or he was fucking with me hardcore," she added in a whimper. "No man should be that fucking sexy."

"Seduce…?" Koga blinked at that and snorted doubtfully. "Tell me… what exactly did he do?" He waited patiently while Usagi stuttered through it all and blushed on several occasions, each time brighter than the last, and when she finally finished, the wolf demon shook his head in wonder. "Sesshomaru isn't the type to just fuck with people like that. If he doesn't like you, he beats the shit out of you. Or he kills you. Otherwise, he just ignores you, unless there's something he wants."

"So he wants something," she breathed softly, shivering at the thought of what he very likely wanted from her. What would have happened had she stayed in the hot spring!? "I think Usagi needs to make herself scarce and stay as Serenity as often as possible…"

"Heh… I think you're right, little rabbit. Best not lose your human form cherry to a daiyoukai acting like a teen in heat. I hear that the inu tend to get a little rough. Hm… explain why this body is a virgin and your other one isn't?" Koga asked suddenly.

Usagi sputtered and shook her head. "I gave it to Endymion during my first life. Endymion was Mamoru's first incarnation before we both died back on the moon. And in my third body—which you haven't met, yet—I gave my innocence to Alucard." She sighed and smiled sweetly as she remembered that particular night. It had been hot, sweaty, intense… and very, very fulfilling. And despite how rough and unhinged Alucard was in bed, he'd actually been very gentle with her when she'd been in pain, whispering soft words in her ear as he'd waited patiently for her discomfort to subside.

"I figured that I have two other bodies to use if I want to get laid, so why bother cutting the ribbon on this one? That shit _hurts_, Koga! Especially when you're dealing with what most of the men I've been with are packing! Apparently being an asshole equates to also being hung like an elephant!"

"Hey! I'm a nice guy and I'm fairly well hung!" Koga protested, then immediately turned red when he heard Ayame approaching.

"Well, that's good to know," the redheaded wolf demon giggled. "Because on the next full moon, you're all mine," she added with a nip to his throat, which only made him turn even redder.

"Um, well! I suppose I'll be heading back to Kagome's village then!" Usagi laughed. "You two take care… and Ayame, fuck him long and hard. Koga deserves it hot and sloppy."

"Gods, woman, I swear that you and the hanyou could trade pointers on different levels of vulgarity," Koga sputtered.

"Hey, what can I say? My potty mouth's a gift!" Usagi let them follow her as she began packing up her things, but she smiled and shook her head when Koga offered to carry her back, pointing out that it was much faster than travelling by horseback.

"If I'd known where this village was, I would have teleported here; it's one of my gifts, and very, very useful for long distance travel. I'll just head back that way," she informed him as she finished packing.

"And what should I tell the dog?" Koga chuckled. "He's going to be awfully pissy knowing that you left if he's really trying to get up your kimono."

"Tell him that you have no clue where I went, that you woke in the morning and I was gone," she purred evilly. "Make him sweat a little, since I likely won't even be at the lake again until the new moon."

"And if he comes knocking at your door?"

Usagi laughed at that and shook her head. "Then I'll teleport out of the house and somewhere else. It ought to be very entertaining to give a great demon the slip. Let's see how long it takes him to figure it out."

Ayame listened to all of this with wide eyes and stared in wonder. "I wish I could be a fly on the wall when he figures out that you're avoiding him. Sesshomaru is not known for reacting well when he's denied something he wants."

"And I'm not well known for just spreading my legs because a man wants to fuck me," Usagi countered. With that, she transformed. "Koga, meet Sailor Cosmos, my ultimate form. If you ever see me transform like this during a fight… run. Far, far away." And then she was gone.

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"Ah, home sweet home," Usagi sighed happily as she went into her store room and immediately got to work on the hides she'd left behind. Thank the gods she'd used her powers to preserve them; they would have smelled something awful by the time she'd returned had she not done so.

It took a lot of scraping and several hours getting the oak stump ready, but they were steeping in tannic acid by evening and she was utterly sweaty and smelly and ready for a bath. She risked teleporting to the lake, took a quick enough dip to wash up, and fought a wave of dizziness when she teleported back to her yard. "Gods… overdid it these last few days, I guess…"

Upon entering her home, she found the temperature to be stifling and was sweating again almost immediately, but she waved her hand to use her powers over Mercury and it was cold in no time. Another wave of dizziness took over then and she shivered. "The hell… maybe… maybe I just need some sleep… feel so… strange," she whispered as she stumbled into her room and collapsed on her cot.

Never had she reacted this way to an overuse of power before. Fatigue, sure! But never the hot and cold flashes and the overwhelming dizzy spells that made her want to hurl. What in the hell was wrong with her?

It wasn't until she'd lain there for an hour that it dawned on her. Dizzy spells, nausea, fatigue and… she had to be running a fever. That explained the hot and cold spells. And what was worse, she could barely access her subspace pocket to get out a thermometer to confirm that she had a fever of 102. "I caught it… dear gods… please, don't let Kagome come up here and get it, too… think, Usa… think before you pass out…"

Drugs. She needed drugs. Exerting so much mental effort that beads of sweat began to roll down her face, Usagi managed to open her subspace one more time and concentrated on removing anything and everything inside of it that could be used to treat any illness and piled it all beside her futon in a mini mountain of pharmaceuticals.

Then she painstakingly separated the things that needed to be kept cold and once again used her powers of Mercury. It was that level of physical strain that finally made her pass out before she could even try using an antibiotic, and that was how she was found the next morning.

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After being informed by Koga that Usagi hadn't been seen since just after she'd returned from the hot springs, Sesshomaru was in a bit of a rage about being so successfully avoided, and his demon was downright livid. He flew all night in an attempt to intercept her on the road, but when he couldn't find her anywhere he went straight to her house on the off-chance that she'd used some sort of power to transport her there quickly.

Bakusaiga was drawn the moment he found her door ajar and a cursory glance into the house showed that a few things had been knocked over. Clearly, something bad had happened here, be it robbers or worse. But he stopped when he sniffed the air for clues as to what had happened and tasted sickness on his tongue, sour and bitter all at once. "Healer?" He rumbled softly. "You are unwell?"

There was no response, so Sesshomaru used the flat of his blade to push open the door to the back room, then immediately sheathed it and rushed to her side. She was naked, unconscious, sprawled out lengthwise on the futon with her hand on a strange-looking bottle that sat in a pile of similar containers, some of them cold. "Healer, wake up." He shook her, then barked out her name when she didn't respond, losing control on his beast's unexplainable panic from the sight of her looking so pale. "Usagi!"

The blonde managed to just barely crack open her eyes, and at the blurry sight of silver hair, she smiled feverishly. "Mother… sorry… 'bout the mess…"

"This Sesshomaru is not your mother," he snorted. "I will fetch Kagome."

He watched as some sort of sense seemed to be coming back to her and she frowned, her hand moving to clasp about his wrist. Dear gods, her hand was hot! "No… Kagome… she's human. She'll catch it, too," she whispered hoarsely. "The baby…"

Sesshomaru sighed and nodded. He'd have to fetch the hanyou, then, even though his inner demon howled at the very idea of letting another male see her naked. But wait, no. Chiyo, Ayame's niece, was hanyou, and she'd caught the sickness, too. Apparently only those that were full-blooded demons were immune to it. And the only other youkai was Shippo, since Koga was still courting Ayame in the other village.

Shippo was barely even an adult and would have little knowledge of this sort, so Sesshomaru tried to recall everything he knew about fevers and human illnesses that he had learned during the last fifteen years and settled for first placing a cool cloth on her forehead. Her nearly inaudible sigh told him that that was a good choice, but he fleetingly wished that the miko was there to take over; above almost all other things, what Sesshomaru hated the most was feeling helpless.

What had they done for Rin whenever she'd taken ill? As a child, it had seemed like an endless parade of viruses and stomach bugs, but that had been a few years back and Kagome had done most of the doctoring. Then he remembered them rubbing her down in alcohol, but not the kind that you drank, and he tried to recall what the bottle had looked like.

His memory by sight was not as good as his nose, so the inu lord began to open a few bottles and sniff, and before long he found what he thought was correct. "Healer. Usagi. Wake up. Is this what the miko calls rubbing alcohol?"

Glassy blue eyes stared at the bottle for a long time before she nodded and her lids slipped shut once more, and Sesshomaru got to work soaking down a piece ripped from his kimono. He waved off her hands when she tried to push him away, starting with her chest and neck, gradually moving on to her arms and legs, and when she actually opened her eyes and seemed to be aware of who he was, he knew she was coming around a bit. "What else will relieve this illness?"

Unable to even feel embarrassed by her nudity, Usagi gradually focused on the pile of medicine and placed a finger on one bottle. "For the fever," she whispered. "So hot… can't think…"

"How many?" Sesshomaru grunted as he fiddled with the child-resistant cap. He handed her four of the little round brown pills when she held up the same amount of fingers, then grumbled to himself about feeling like an errand boy when he realized she needed to drink something to take them. But he eventually returned with a cup of juice from her storeroom and rolled his eyes a bit at his beast's purring when he helped her to sit up and she leaned heavily against him for support. "Drink. This one will figure out how broth is made. The miko made it for Rin whenever she was sick." Perhaps he could simply pop down into the village and have Kagome make some, he'd only be gone for a few—

"No," Usagi whispered as if sensing his thoughts. "Can't go to the village. You'll… you'll take the sickness with you."

Damn it, she had a point. "This one will howl for aid. Lie still," he ordered as he placed her back on the bed, this time lying her correctly upon it and not crosswise.

"Make sure they're upwind… can't come in the house…"

Sesshomaru gave her a slight nod and went outside, where he let out a howl that his brother would recognize. He did not have to wait long, but as soon as Inuyasha was within sight, he yelled at him to stop. "The healer is ill and it is catching with all but youkai. This one requires food that she can eat and none must come up here, not even Shippo. He will carry the disease back down the hill."

"Sesshomaru, is she going to be alright?" The hanyou asked softly, noting the flicker of doubt and panic in his brother's eyes. Damn, his inner demon had to be as fixated on Usagi as his own was with Kagome, especially if it was causing such an out of character reaction in him. His brother was actually going to stay up here and play nurse!

"This Sesshomaru does not know. Many have perished from this illness to the east. The healer caught it from those she made well. The younger adults seemed to have survived it better than the old or the young, though."

"Well, that's somethin'… I'll have Kagome and Sango make broth for her and some food for you as well. You'll howl again if she takes a turn for the worst, right? Or if you need anything?"

Sesshomaru gave a nod. "This one thanks you… brother. Bark when you return, but do not come closer than where you are now. Even the hanyou are not immune."

He found Usagi fumbling through the medications when he returned, her hands trying weakly to open one of the bottles, but with no luck. "Your fever is receding. You are getting better?"

"No," she rasped, her throat aching, "those pills reduce fevers quickly and help with the body pain. I want to try an antibiotic and see if it'll help. Thanks," she added when he opened it for her. "I need one of these four times a day, and four of the brown pills every four hours to keep the fever down. And—" She stopped and frowned when she realized that she couldn't open her subspace pocket to get out a blanket, then realized she'd nearly revealed who she was to the daiyoukai. "Need a blanket," she managed. "And clothes," she added with a bright coloring of her cheeks.

"This one is not concerned with your nudity, healer. Lie back." When she didn't comply, Sesshomaru simply made her lay down and covered her up with his mokomoko. "If you feel the urge to vomit, this one would appreciate a warning before you soil him."

Usagi actually giggled for a moment at that and nodded. "Can't say as I blame you, demon. But none of my patients had any symptoms like that, so I think you're in the clear. And…" She blushed again and looked up at him shyly. "Thanks. If it had been Kagome that had found me, I would have never forgiven myself for getting her sick."

"You should not have returned without an escort," Sesshomaru ground out, trying not to let his inner demon's annoyance show too much. "And this one would like to know how you returned so swiftly."

Usagi was saved by the bell; those golden eyes were boring into hers, waiting for a response as she nervously worried her lip… and then there was a bark from outside and Sesshomaru growled at being interrupted. "We shall continue this conversation," he promised softly before he went back outside.

He returned to find her shivering violently and laid his mokomoko over her once more as he poured broth into a bowl for her, only to realize she was shaking too hard to hold it. "Come here," he urged, sitting her up and letting her lean on him for support. "Drink, Usagi." Holding the bowl to her lips, Sesshomaru was careful to be patient as she drank since she seemed to be having trouble swallowing, and noted that her throat seemed a little swollen. "If your patients were not vomiting, what finished them?"

"The fever in most cases," she replied as she rubbed at her neck. "Those that outlasted the fever died of dehydration when they could no longer swallow anything, or asphyxiation when the swelling got out of control. The pills I took… those should help with the swelling."

Ever observant, Sesshomaru shook his head as he pointed a claw at the bottle. "If you take four of those every four hours, you will run out of medicine by tomorrow evening." He noted the stark fear in her eyes at that information and had to admit he was a little troubled as well. His inner demon was really climbing the walls at the thought of her death, and Sesshomaru simply didn't have the strength of will to quiet it when it was so overwhelmingly fighting him, insisting that he care for her. "You do not have more," he surmised.

"No… I do, but…"

"This one shall fetch them for you. Where are they?" Her silence made him wonder what her problem was, but he merely offered her more broth until he realized that he'd seen her pull things out of thin air on several occasions whenever she was masquerading as the false goddess. Apparently it was time to reveal that he knew who she was so that she would simply retrieve what she needed.

Seeing her wince as she finished swallowing the broth, Sesshomaru let out a sigh he'd been suppressing. "I know who you really are, Usagi. Just fetch your items however it is that you normally do, and this one will refrain from asking too many questions while you are ill."

He growled when her eyes flashed in anger and she opened her mouth to hotly protest, and cut her off halfway through her expected denial. "Serenity, this Sesshomaru was in the tree above the spring while you bathed with the wolf. I heard everything. Now, cease with this stubbornness and just get the medicine you need. And do not dare lie to me again, _Serenity_."

Knowing when to just stop bluffing, Usagi whimpered and sweat beaded on her forehead with the exertion of opening her subspace. She was panting for air by the time she found the full bottle of ibuprofen, and she handed it over wearily, slumping in his arms from the effort. "Satis…fied?" She finally gasped.

"This one will be satisfied only when you are up to an interrogation," he answered truthfully. "Now… if there anything else in this pile that might be used for pain?"

Usagi simply pointed at a large yellow bottle. "They'll make me high," she warned him. "Only one for now."

"High? This one does not understand."

"Drunk," she whispered. "Or it might knock me out. It's vicodin. A very strong painkiller from Kagome's timeline… more or less."

"So you are from her time."

"No, I'm from a different dimension and was reincarnated in a time and place with similar technology," she replied tartly despite her illness, though she gratefully took the white pill he placed in her hand with a mouthful of juice. "And I am a goddess," she added wearily when he offered her a bowl of rice and she tiredly shook her head.

"Surely, a goddess would have been immune to this illness. Therefore, you are only a human."

"I'm human in this form, dumbass," she choked out, rubbing at her throat. "I have three bodies, damn it. This one's human and the other two are… well, Serenity is a goddess. Cosmos is… complicated."

"Can you shift to your goddess state until this illness has passed?" He inquired as he noted that her temperature was rising a little, the heat from her skin baking into his mokomoko.

"I could barely access my subspace," she whispered, "so probably not. And I don't want to chance catching this illness in that form, too. If hanyou can catch it, I might be able to as well." Usagi whimpered a little as she felt sweat beading on her forehead and everything seemed fuzzy. "Thermometer," she whispered, fishing around beside her for it. She popped it in her mouth and turned it on once she had it and simply rested against him, silently appreciating the way he was holding her securely.

"It's 104," she whispered when it beeped. "I'll be delirious again soon… I need ice," she realized. "If I can get in a bath and use my powers to nearly freeze the water, that'll help."

"Will that not put you into shock?" Sesshomaru inquired blandly. "This one recalls the miko mentioning something about extreme temperature drops harming the human body."

"Shock's a shitload better than dead," she countered. "You got a better idea, dog?"

"This one would request that you not address him so disrespectfully, healer. Especially when he is _saving your life_," Sesshomaru ground out impatiently as he hefted her tightly into his arms. He softened a little on the inside when their eyes met and he saw just how weary and close to tears she was. "This Sesshomaru shall take you where it is cold," he told her simply, gathering up her blanket in one arm before using his youki to take them to the peak of the mountain that loomed over the village. It was blanketed in snow at the summit, and he carefully sat her covers on the ground before placing her naked body on top.

"The cold air feels good," she whispered, so hot that the frigid temperature felt wonderful to her burning skin. Usagi didn't even mind that she was shivering hard; within five minutes she was already feeling better and tested things out by accessing her subspace with ease. "This gives me a wonderful idea, Sesshomaru," she sighed with pleasure.

The way she'd murmured his name happily perked his inner demon's interest, and the blonde had his full attention focused on her bare skin whether he liked it or not. "Yes?"

"My fever's down enough to use my powers a little bit. If I can spell my bedroom to stay this cold… would that bother you?" She added thoughtfully.

"This one is not effected by the elements. It would not bother me. Shall we return, Usagi?"

Usagi pretended as if she hadn't heard that seductive purr to his voice as he'd said her name, and was suddenly aware of her lack of clothing. But when she covered up with the blanket, she found him eyeing her hungrily and gave a little shiver to remind him that she was very ill. "Yeah, let's go back, I'll teleport us so we don't waste time travelling. You're fast, but my fever could go back up quickly."

"You are correct." Sesshomaru scooped her up again and blinked at the disorientation that came with being transported instantly, but he recovered quickly and took her to the bedroom. "Proceed."

"You'll have to set me down, I don't want to accidentally put you in a block of ice," she warned him. The warm, humid air was already making her dizzy, and it took her a few waves of her hand to get the temperature right. It wasn't quite as cold as the mountain had been since she'd have to sit in that climate for the next few days, but it would sustain itself for as long as she needed it to. "There," she whispered wearily, sagging onto her futon, noting that her throat was feeling a bit better while her thoughts were growing slow and fuzzy. "Mmm… vicodin's kicking in. Ah, I'm in love," she sighed, sliding into utter happy bliss on the drugs.

"The white pill makes you feel good," he observed. "Interesting. Like alcohol, does it also slow you down and muddle the rest of your senses?"

"Mmhmm," Usa replied happily, her eyes glazing a little as she looked up at him. "It's a happy pill. Ami always used to tell me that if it didn't kill the pain, it would at least make you not give a fuck about it."

"Ami?" Well, it seemed that this happy pill also loosened her tongue, just like too much sake.

"Goddess of wisdom, Senshi of Mercury… one of my sisters. She was a physician in her human life. I was a nurse, like Mina and Hotaru." When he lifted a silver brow and motioned for her to continue, she winked at him. "You're cute when you make that face, like you can just order people to answer your questions without even asking them." Then she giggled when he frowned. "What, Sesshomaru? Too high and mighty to take a compliment when you hear one?"

"This one is many things, but he is not… cute."

"Really? Because I find you to be absolutely _adorable_. And Mina was the goddess of lust and beauty and the Senshi of Venus. She would have eaten you alive. Hotaru was the goddess of death and rebirth and the Senshi of Saturn. She would have… hmm… I dunno. Either reaped your soul or thought you were fluffy and hugged you."

He sputtered at the very thought and stuck to the subject. "More sisters."

"I had many sisters," she replied, suddenly sad. "We all loved each other very much, Sesshomaru. I'm the last one left, the goddess of light, love and purity. They left me their powers, you know," she added in a dark whisper. "When I was forced to kill them."

_That_ had his attention, and he focused sharply on the inebriated goddess. "You killed your sisters."

"Yes, I did. And immortality without them is my curse, my penance. All because I was a coward. All because I ran. I went back and made it right, you know. There's another me in another timeline where I went back and righted my wrong, but while it saved her sisters, it did not save mine."

Unable to stop himself as his beast demanded that he comfort her, Sesshomaru wiped at her tears with the edge of his kimono and gently ran his claws through her hair. "This one has learned that there is always a price that one must pay for their gravest mistakes. And oftentimes the punishment outweighs the crime."

"You said it," she choked out. "Thank you, Sesshomaru. I should have warned you that I babble on the happy pills… but my throat feels better." She shivered, knowing that the pill had also helped her fever, but she was immediately wrapped up in his mokomoko. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked suddenly.

So, she had finally asked the question… and Sesshomaru wasn't going to bother sugarcoating the answer in a convenient lie just because she was ill. "My inner demon wants to mate with you. This one is not being kind, he is merely preserving your life so that he can lie with you when you are well."

Usagi blushed slightly at the admission, and the effects of the medication made her less reluctant to admit her own attraction to him. "I… um… I'm flattered, but… no, Sesshomaru. I… I think it would be a bad idea."

"This Sesshomaru overheard your conversation with the wolf. It would be nothing more than a physical joining, I assure you. This one's demon wants you, and to have you will quell that urge. When you are well, we shall discuss some form of an arrangement."

"Stop ordering me around," she ground out. "It's considered polite to _ask_ a lady if she wants to fuck you. Not tell her to, you chauvinistic prick."

Clearly amused by her vulgarity, Sesshomaru played into her bold statement, knowing he had her hook line and sinker before he'd even begun. "Fine. Please instruct this Sesshomaru on how to proposition you for an intimate evening."

"Ok, seriously? I'm high, not stupid, dog. Why don't you ask your brother? He seems to have gotten it right since he snagged an independent woman from the future." Usa smiled smugly when he frowned and huffed loudly, clearly displeased with her suggestion.

But he was thinking over what he had seen the hanyou do, and was shaking his head in frustration. "Flowers and pretty words are for taking a human mate. Not for lying with a goddess for a single night," he finally replied.

"Well, then I guess this Sesshomaru is never going to get his dick wet," Usagi said regally.

"Gods, you have a foul mouth, woman. Keep it shut in the future if you are going to poison my ears with such filth," Sesshomaru ordered, his claws digging into the floor in his annoyance.

"Just for that, I'll take a second vicodin. You're going to be privy to my potty mouth all fucking night, Sesshomaru. And believe me, you haven't even gotten me going ye—mmmppph… mmm…"

Releasing her mouth, Sesshomaru panted for air in the wake of his first kiss, his eyes bleeding red and his markings going jagged as he scented her slight arousal. "Shut up unless you want me to shut you up again, healer. Understood?"

**WOOOOO! And now there's a thunderstorm coming so I have to cut it off there. And the winner is Sesshomaru's Bunny! She got them all! And the reward is an Alucard/ Serenity pairing oneshot… but I already see it becoming a fullblown story in my head, hahahahaha… R&R and I'll write some more!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys for the reviews! EEEEE! :D Tempers will fly a little, and then maybe there will be some fluff… mwuhuhahahahaa… you can blame my period for the fluff, it does that.**

The fluttering in her heart ceased when her mind screamed in outrage over the domineering, douchebag of a demon lord staring at her possessively, waiting for her to voice her submission. _Submission, my ass, _she thought to herself. "Nothing you could possibly do would shut me up, short of removing my tongue," she growled up at him. "And let me make it clear right now, dog. You are not going to sleep with me. You will never sleep with me, not in a hundred years. Or a thousand. Or a m—mmmph! Gods damn it, Sesshomaru, _cut that out_!" She shrieked, the volume making him flinch as her voice hit his sensitive ears.

He immediately calmed when he noticed something interesting, his markings returning to normal and the red in his eyes receding almost all of the way. "You are not afraid of my demon."

"No, I'm not," she snorted, looking down her nose at him. "You might be bad, dog, but I'm a hell of a lot badder when I'm genuinely pissed off."

"This would explain why my demon is reacting to you so strongly," he muttered, mostly to himself. "It would seem that it has met its match."

"Match? Seriously?" She asked incredulously. "Trust me, puppy, your temper is nothing compared to mine when I'm really mad."

"That sounds like a challenge."

The slightly amused note to his tone made her fume despite how ill she was, and the rush of emotion made her tremble and feel dizzy. "I swear, the very moment I'm back on my feet, I'm going to—"

"Be pinned on your stomach." Gods, he was incensed by that furious light in her eyes; megami or human, it didn't matter. When she got angry, those blue eyes swirled with silver, making him feel as if he was staring into the very depths of the universe.

"We're done," she croaked out. "Leave and go find Koga. I don't want you taking care of me anymore."

"This one will not allow another male to see you in such a state," Sesshomaru replied flatly, inwardly grinding his teeth over his demon's reaction to such an idea. Why should it fucking matter who saw her naked!? He was going to take her for one night only to get her scent out of his damned system, and then he would be done with her. So why this foreign, unnatural rush of jealousy? It wasn't something more; that would be absolutely impossible for someone such as him. The Lord of the West would never stoop to permanently mate. Ever. His father had mated his mother, only to break that supposedly unbreakable bond and mate with a lowly human. And because of that, Sesshomaru would never mate. And he would definitely never mate a human as his father had done, breaking his mother's heart in the process. "This one has vowed to care for you until you are healthy. I shall remain here until my vow has been fulfilled."

Shivering from the fever, Usagi grit her teeth and just felt miserable as her body aches began to return. She knew she wasn't in any state to argue, and getting upset was only making her feel even worse. Damn it, it was so bad she was actually close to tears. "You're such a stubborn bag of dicks," she managed weakly.

"This Sesshomaru will refrain from making propositions or arguing with you until you have recovered," he offered, unable to stop his beast from raising his hand to gently run the back of it over her forehead, pushing sweaty golden strands out of her face. "While this one is entertained by your senseless refusals, you are too ill to remain in a state of constant upset." Feeling a foreign wave of guilt coursing through him when a few tears spilled over onto her cheeks, he actually pulled her to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Lie down and rest, Usagi. Are you hot or cold?"

"Cold," she whimpered, shivering against him, too miserable to protest the way he was holding her possessively. A little voice in the back of her head was commenting on how nice it felt to be held like that, reminding her that it had been a hundred years or more since Alucard, since the last time she'd felt so safe and warm… even if this male wanted only her body and nothing more. He didn't care… but damn if it wasn't nice to fantasize for just a moment that he did.

"This one never does this," he informed her as he removed his armor and weapons. "So do not read too much into it. Or expect it," he added, tucking her tightly to his chest as he laid down on her futon with her and covered both of them up with her blankets and his mokomoko.

"You never held Rin?" Usagi mumbled in surprise.

"Rin is the only exception to such things, woman. She is this one's adopted daughter," Sesshomaru grunted in annoyance. Damn it, holding a woman shouldn't have felt so good!

Usagi looked up at him and sighed softly, unable to stop herself from actually feeling sorry for him. "How sad it must be," she whispered, slightly delirious from her fever. "To know so little about simple affection and kindness that you've never held someone besides Rin or let them hold you in return." The sound of a growl had her reaching up and tracing his markings, but she found her hand roughly slapped away and winced as the ache in all of her joints made it hurt far worse than it normally would have. "I was… I was only trying to… you're such an asshole," she whispered as hurt tears welled up in her eyes.

"Damn it, woman," he grunted as he examined her hand, feeling that foreign sensation of guilt yet again. "Do not move," he ordered, drawing Tensaiga from where it laid beside the bed. "It cannot heal an illness, but it can heal injuries," he explained when she opened her mouth to ask that very question. Holding it to her fingers, Sesshomaru watch in curiosity and surprise when the center of her chest glowed right along with the blade, the light reminding him of another object. "You possess the Shikon no Tama?" He blurted out. But hadn't it disappeared!?

"Iie," Usagi whispered weakly, "it's the ginzuishou… the silver crystal. My birthright and the main source of my power… as well as my burden to bear." And it was reacting strongly to Sesshomaru, voicing its approval towards him just as it had with nearly every other potential lover. As much as she disliked him and as fuzzy-headed as she felt, she couldn't help but reflect that the silver crystal had never been wrong about a man. Not once. The only males it hadn't glowed for were Heero and L… and she remembered all too well how those relationships had turned out.

"It is done," Sesshomaru finally said, putting away the sword. "This one should not have struck a prospective lover outside of a spar. I shall refrain from such in the future and will nip at your ear instead, as is proper."

"Huh?"

"Nipping the ear is an acceptable form of expressing this one's displeasure or anger with a female that he may become intimate with."

"You dogs are weird," she slurred, feeling heavy and warm from the effects of the Tensaiga and the silver crystal, which was still pulsing and flooding her with its light. Normally, she would have been grateful for its interference, but for it to try so hard to heal her could only mean that the illness she had was starting to win despite their efforts.

It was no huge surprise to her, though. From what she'd seen when she'd been healing, the sickness struck hard and fast and usually killed its victims in a matter of days. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" She asked the crystal, only to have the demon answer for it.

"You will do no such thing," Sesshomaru growled, clutching at her tightly, shocked by the well of dread making his stomach turn at the very thought of her demise. "This one shall ensure your survival. Now sleep. You require your rest."

##################################

Usagi woke to the scent of cooking meat and whimpered as soon as she tried to sit up. Her throat hurt so badly she could barely swallow, she felt unbearably hot and every inch of her ached horribly. She couldn't even see straight and wondered if she was hallucinating when she felt wonderfully cool hands supporting her back as she lost the ability to stay upright and nearly fell.

"This one could not wake you," a baritone voice whispered. Was it just her delirium, or did he sound worried and a little afraid? "Take the medicine, Usagi. Swallow."

Too weak to fight him, she allowed him to place the pills in her mouth, too far gone to even wonder if he'd given her the correct pills and the right doses. But her body rejected the very notion of swallowing anything thicker than water and she coughed and hacked violently, spitting the pills up the moment they reached the back of her throat.

"Usagi, you have to take the pills," Sesshomaru urged her, beyond caring if he sounded weak and pathetic as he shook her lightly when her eyes rolled back a little. Then he noticed how swollen her neck was and he felt his beast panicking—an extremely foreign emotion to him. "I will crush the pills," he said quickly, lying her back down and covering her with his mokomoko before producing a knife. Using the flat of the blade, he turned them all to powder in a matter of seconds and added them to some juice, then forced her to sit back up and lean against him. "Drink," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument even though on the inside he was immensely worried about whether she'd even be able to swallow liquid.

It took a lot of flexing her throat and infinite patience on his part, but Usagi eventually took one swallow and then fought for air through the awful pain, silent tears sliding down her face from the agony.

"The cold air made your throat worse," Sesshomaru told her as he held the cup to her lips again. "You also have fluid in your lungs. It is good that this one moved you to the main room. Drink." He didn't care how long it took, she would drink it all and she would keep it down. She'd been too long without fluids, so long that he had been sure she was going to die, and his inner demon had actually curled up and whimpered at the very idea, something that Sesshomaru had never felt it do before. Even when Rin had died, his beast had been enraged, even distraught… but he'd never felt such utter despair and hopelessness before, and now that she was conscious, that same terrified animal inside of him was demanding that he hold her, draw in her scent, swear to ensure her safety from that moment forward. Gods, it just wanted to crawl up inside of her somehow and never leave her warmth ever again. "All of it," he breathed when she shoved the nearly half-full cup away and she choked on tears. "Usagi, you have to drink all of it, and then this Sesshomaru can prepare something made by Kaede."

The confused, blank look she gave him made him explain if only to spare her talking with that horribly swollen throat. "The half-breed travelled to Kaede's village. She is a very powerful miko and she prepared a healing draught that should cure you. But you must swallow it all at once or it may not be effective." He hummed in approval when she gave him a tiny, weak nod. "Now drink, so that the swelling might go down enough."

The inu daiyoukai was patient and silently encouraged her with a touch here and there, a stroke to her cheek or a running of his fingers through her hair as she cried without making a sound and gradually swallowed the medicine mixed with the juice. And when it was done, Sesshomaru's inner demon was utterly in control when he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers gently, tasting the juice, medicine and the bitter, sour flavor of illness. But beneath it all was the light, innocent taste of her, and his beast practically purred with pleasure as it savored her… at least, until he heard the way she was fighting for air from the angle he had her at and he immediately sat her up straight, supporting her weight as she sagged. "Do not fall asleep again," he warned her. "You _must_ stay awake, Usagi."

The healer could only whimper in response and let him hold her. She was simply too weak to argue—not that she would have, though. He was so warm and smelled so good that she found herself genuinely fighting the urge to doze off comfortably in his arms.

Seeing that glassy look and the way her eyes kept slowly shutting, only to pop back open, Sesshomaru inwardly panicked a little, at a total loss for how to keep her awake. "Usagi. If you fall asleep again, you will not wake. Do not doze off."

She gave him a slow nod to show she understood as she tried to speak, but the attempt to do so only made her wince and massage it slowly. "Hurts," she mouthed silently.

"The medicine this one gave you was four brown pills and two happy pills, as well as an antibiotic that the miko instructed me to use. You had it in the pile with the other medicines." He fell silent at that, not sure what else to do to keep her awake; his inner demon wouldn't harm her, nor could he seduce the hell out of her in her current state, so he just watched her and shook her lightly whenever her eyes would flutter shut for more than a few seconds.

"This one is not accustomed to small talk," he finally explained. It was then he caught the briefest ghost of a smile on her lips and he felt her fingers sliding over his face, tracing his markings. "Do not think I will not put you in your place for such boldness, healer." Contrary to his words, though, his inner demon was sighing with pleasure at the sensation and telling Sesshomaru that the worry and effort had totally been worth it, but the inu lord was having none of that. Damn it, he and his inner demon had had enough conversations while she'd been in a semi-coma… and he wasn't even going to think about what Tensaiga had said to him.

Usagi's lips flickered up again as she tried to see him through the burning haze of her fever; she was nearly blind from it and could only just see the shape of his face and the shades of his eyes and markings in the firelight. "Thank you," she breathed softly, wincing in pain from her throat's protests.

"You are welcome," he managed when she withdrew her hand, only to seek out his own and link her fingers with his, giving him a weak squeeze. He allowed it with a little huff of annoyance, noting that Rin had often held his hand, especially whenever she'd been sick. It was some form of comfort for humans, he supposed, and he felt Tensaiga pulse in response just as the glow in her chest intensified.

It had been doing that a lot while she'd been passed out, and Sesshomaru still couldn't quite make heads or tails of it; Tensaiga had given him advice before, but unknown to him, the ginzuishou also did the same for Usagi and both items were actually conversing, though neither of them could hear it at the moment.

"How long?" She whispered after another few minutes.

"Eight days since you fell ill. Two since this Sesshomaru was completely unable to wake you." Sesshomaru sensed her utter shock and studied her carefully. "What do you remember?"

"Falling asleep in the bedroom… only the first day," she responded as she rubbed at her throat. It was starting to feel a little bit better, which meant that the pain killers were kicking in; she only hoped that whatever Sesshomaru was going to give her would work. "How high was my temperature?"

The inu lord inwardly sputtered at that question; after an hour he had finally figured out that stupid little device of hers and had managed to get her temperature by placing it under her arm. "It read one-oh-five consistently over the last several days."

Usagi's jaw dropped at that. "No wonder I don't remember… dear gods, I could have easily died. Brain damage happens at a hundred and seven. How did you get it under my tongue?"

"This one placed it under your arm." Her panicked expression made him lift a silver brow. "This was a bad idea?"

"No… it's just that… that means I was actually at a hundred and six… possibly a little higher," she whispered fearfully. Usagi felt him tense at that and the flicker in his golden eyes told her that it bothered him, too. Funny, she could actually see him! "Hey, I'm not blind anymore," she whispered.

"You were blind?" He snapped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I couldn't talk," she replied wryly. "It's nothing to be concerned about, my fever's coming down and my vision's returning, Sesshomaru."

The volume of her voice combined with her exhaustion and the way she was sagging into him made his name sound like a whisper of desire, and the daiyoukai shivered as his inner demon took over and had him nuzzling her throat. "This one does not know if the hanyou was jesting, but he claimed that being intimate would also lower your fever."

Rolling her eyes, Usagi just glared at him. "And we're back to that, aren't we? Damn, you don't waste any time trying to get into a dying girl's panties, Sesshomaru."

He almost wished she'd revert to calling him 'dog' or something disrespectful while her voice sounded so husky and soft, but he refrained from saying so and nipped at her ear once before withdrawing. "This Sesshomaru was attempting to make a joke," he grumbled unhappily. Ok, fine. He'd been half-joking. "And you are not wearing any undergarments," he pointed out.

"Figure of speech," Usagi sighed. "So… I don't suppose you could help me to the bathroom?" She asked hesitantly, fairly sure she'd never be able to make it outside on her own. The look of naked relief on his face, breaking through his typical emotionless façade, made her stop and blush. "Oh… oh my, you had to… Sesshomaru, I'm sorry."

"This Sesshomaru does _**not**_ wish to discuss the matter," he said in a tone that demanded no arguments. "Ever." Even when Rin had been sick, Kagome or Sango had tended to her physical needs, and with his sensitive nose, Sesshomaru had nearly went outside and vomited a couple of times while cleaning up Usagi's bodily functions. It had been the most utterly disgusting task he'd ever undertaken in his life, and he'd never come so close to tossing his cookies.

Sensing his disgust through her gradually returning empathic powers, Usagi smiled compassionately and tugged his face down to hers, kissing him ardently. "That definitely deserves a kiss," she breathed against his lips when she broke away. "Thank you for taking care of me, Sesshomaru. Now… I really need to pee."

It was honestly comical when he moved with unbelievable speed to get her to the outhouse, his desire to not clean her up again totally evident on his face, and Usagi giggled when he flung open the door and sat her on the outdoor toilet. "Sorry, you just moved so fast," she snickered. "It's not funny but it is," she admitted.

Sesshomaru just let out a wordless grumble as he turned his back to her, and once she'd announced that she'd finished, he scooped her up again and wrapped her in his mokomoko. "This Sesshomaru shall heat the medicine that Kaede sent," he told her as he laid her back down on the futon and handed her a nightgown to dress in. "You must drink it all at once and disregard the burning sensation. Understood?"

"Yeah. And Sesshomaru, thank you again. I swear to repay your kindness somehow once I'm well," she whispered as she tugged the cotton shift over her head, grateful to no longer be naked.

"You know exactly how you can repay me, Usagi. Do not attempt to give me recompense in any other fashion." Leaving her blushing, he undraped his mokomoko from his shoulder so it would reach when he moved towards the fire and still leave her covered and warm, then he withdrew a small flask from his kimono and began to follow Kaede's instructions to the letter.

Usagi finally let him help her sit up again, feeling loopy as hell from the two vicodin he'd given her out of her stash, but managed to concentrate enough to nod when he repeated his earlier instructions and held a steaming hot cup to her lips. "One swallow," she repeated. "I'm assuming it's going to taste awful, so let's just do it."

The healer opened her mouth and instantly gagged at the first burning touch to her tongue, but Sesshomaru was having none of that and forced her to take the entire mouthful, his eyes daring her not to swallow and face his wrath. Usagi worked her tongue and tipped her head back and swallowed it all in one shot, coughing and spluttering immediately after. "I've tasted a lot of nasty shit before, but that takes the cake."

"You will keep it down," Sesshomaru growled softly, handing her a cup of juice. "Drink this, now. All of it. And then you must eat. Kaede's instructions require that you must eat something." He pulled a steak from the spit he'd set to the side and put it on a plate.

Usagi cut it up small and it took a lot of effort, but she managed to swallow the first bite despite the protests from her sore throat. Gods, that hurt.

Seeing her discomfort, Sesshomaru sighed at his demon's reaction and actually rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Chew it thoroughly, first. This one fed you in such a manner before you passed out completely."

Usagi just contemplated that for a minute before she blushed and gawked at him. Damn, she really did owe him. He'd actually chewed her food for her and helped her to eat!? It was a little gross, but it was still unbelievably kind.

"You are disgusted by this, but not by how this one cared for your baser needs?" Sesshomaru asked with a touch of amusement.

"I did nurse's work in my second life," Usagi giggled softly. "I could honestly sit and eat a full meal right after caring for a patient with C-Diff, so that thought doesn't bother me. Honestly, you have killed many and dealt with that sort of nastiness, so why is it any different?"

"Because it was disgusting work reserved for servants and healers," he replied without thinking. "This Sesshomaru is a warrior and a lord. Not a healer. I am sure you are equally disgusted by things that would not bother me, such as chewing food for you as if you were a toothless pup."

"Ok, you got me there," she admitted. "I'm a warrior, too, but there are different types. And I'm not the type that isn't grossed out by epic levels of slaughter."

"Your voice is gaining volume," Sesshomaru pointed out, sitting beside her with his own nearly-raw steak on a plate in his lap. "Kaede said that your recovery would take several days, but this one did not expect the swelling to recede so quickly."

"It's because of that sword," Usagi sighed, listening in on the crystal within her as it communicated with Tensaiga. "When it's close to the silver crystal I feel a little better. Both weapons are coordinating their powers to heal me faster." And since her powers were returning, she could hear them talking about other things that she didn't want to think of, and she blushed as the silver crystal made a fairly suggestive statement to Tensaiga. "Vulgar fucking thing, cut it out," she hissed down at the glow in her chest.

"This one normally hears Tensaiga whenever it communicates. What are they saying?" He asked curiously.

"They're discussing our naughty bits colliding, that's what," she muttered. "And your sword is being awfully fucking descriptive at the moment about what it's seen you do… I swear, and people complain that I've got a filthy mouth," she added with wide eyes as she listened in and blushed.

Humming in amusement, Sesshomaru's eyes twinkled mischievously even though his mouth didn't move to match the expression. "Is it giving you a vivid enough picture? Or shall this Sesshomaru demonstrate?"

"Oh, no," she replied quickly, turning a deeper crimson, "trust me, it's being thoroughly descriptive. Overly so," she added in a choked voice when Tensaiga informed the ginzuishou about his overly-dominant mating skills, how he'd take a woman flat on her stomach and plow her for hours if she was in heat, making sure that the virgins especially had their share of pleasure before he took his own. Reaching across, Usagi slapped the hilt of the sword sharply. "That is quite enough of that!" She snapped. "There are virgin ears listening!"

_So full of shit. You are only one-third virgin._

Usagi choked a little at that and her jaw dropped in reaction to the ginzuishou's boldness. "You bitch! It's the last untouched body I have and it's going to stay that way, you hear me?"

"This one finds those terms acceptable," Sesshomaru interjected. "I shall be content with your goddess form."

"Don't you encourage them," she added with a sharp jab of her finger in the air towards him. "Trust me, they don't need it at this point!"

"It seems to this Sesshomaru that they are encouraging you and not the other way around. I was merely stating my willingness not to breach your human body's innocence," he replied smoothly. "Eat. Tensaiga, that's enough; the megami is still ill and this one shall not touch her until she has recovered."

Rolling her eyes, Usagi just took another bite of steak and chewed it thoroughly before swallowing, her thoughts shifting to how her throat was already feeling much, much better. "What was in that thing Kaede made?" She asked once she was finished. "I'm still feverish and I ache, but… I feel a million times better."

"Very, very rare items that she will not be able to procure again for some time. This one sent a message through the hanyou to the priestess, requesting the medicine. Knowing that she likely did not have everything she needed, I sent one particular ingredient that would be difficult to come by… along with enough for another draught for future personal use. As payment."

"Oh. What was the ingredient?" Usagi asked curiously, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. Damn if it wasn't hard to fight the effects of the happy pills.

"The blood of a daiyoukai. Not many would ever be able to procure such a thing, since no human has ever gotten even a drop in battle. It would have to be given freely, since most others, like myself, run poison through their bloodstream during battle. To drink it would mean death."

"You mean that I…" Usagi visibly gagged, her eyes bugging out a little bit. "EW! I drank your blood!? GROSS!"

"You _would_ focus on such a minor detail," Sesshomaru sighed.

"No, you don't get it!? I mean, there's diseases and shit out there and sexually transmitted—" She stopped at that, her eye twitching spastically. "How many women have you been with again?"

His eyes turning a little pink as he glared at her, Sesshomaru just huffed. "How many men have you been with, megami?"

"That wasn't the question! And I'm a hell of a lot older than you, you… you… fluffy slut!"

It was Sesshomaru's turn to twitch a little, but he leashed his temper out of concern for her health. She was still sick, so he'd resist the urge to throw her down and fuck her into submission… or beat her ass until she apologized. "You are ill. You should conserve your strength and refrain from speaking further. Or this one will be forced to gag you, you ungrateful woman."

Usagi fumed and opened her mouth to speak again, but the look he shot her was so full of venom that she knew he hadn't been kidding. She shut her trap and just silently glared at him across the fire for a long moment before huffing and flopping back down onto her futon. She was sleepy from the pills anyway, so she would take a nap and deal with him again in a few hours.

#################################

The shivering was so strong from her returning fever that it actually woke her ten hours later, and Usagi whimpered in pain from the body aches, but found herself unable to sit up to find her medicine pile. She was pinned in place by a muscular arm wrapped around her waist from behind, and no matter how she tried to weakly free herself, that arm wasn't moving an inch. "Sesshomaru?" She rasped, unhappy to note that her throat hurt badly again, even though it was nowhere near a severe as it was before she'd consumed Kaede's medicine.

The inu lord's only reply was to tighten his grip a little, and Usagi was surprised to feel him nuzzling her throat through the curtain of golden hair. "Sesshy? You ok?"

"Do not call me that," he rumbled quietly.

That was when she realized that he sounded sleepy, and she carefully maneuvered herself so that she was facing him, a wave of guilt going through her at the sight of his exhausted features. How had she not noticed those circles under his eyes before? "Sorry," she breathed. "Sleep, Sesshomaru. You deserve it," she added with a kiss and a gentle caress to his cheek.

She recalled their heated conversation and her disgust with him when he mumbled something she didn't understand, and she heaved a guilty sigh before kissing him once more. "And I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. I'm sure that for you, giving some of your blood was a great sacrifice, and… I'm grateful for it. Thank you for saving my life."

"You are welcome," he whispered tiredly, pulling her tighter to his bare chest with his mokomoko. "Sleep, Usagi." Sesshomaru tried to doze back off and was nearly there, but when he felt her hands gently exploring flesh that was almost always concealed by his kimono, he cracked open his golden eyes and smirked at the sight of how red her face was. "You are pleased with what you see. Would it please you further if this Sesshomaru removed his hakama as well?"

"Um… uh… wow. No thank you?" Usagi squeaked out, embarrassed to be caught exploring him. She thought he'd been genuinely asleep when she'd touched him, sure that just a little examination of the hard, warrior's body beneath the covers wouldn't bother him. "Sorry, I'll… I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Hn… and I was enjoying it," he replied with amusement as he nipped at her collarbone and breathed in that sweet, soothing scent that always made his demon simultaneously rattle the cage bars and purr with desire. "Now sleep, unless you wish for this Sesshomaru to take you." Sensing her discomfort, he soothingly began to pet her, careful not to nick her with his claws as he stroked her hair and her back and closed his eyes once more to try and sleep. He'd never gone so long without sleep before in his entire life; he only required a few hours every three or four days, but he'd been awake for ten days without so much as an hour of shut-eye and was frankly about to collapse when Usagi had come to earlier that day.

But he couldn't sleep through the scent of her nervousness, so he found himself petting her as if she were an actual mate and not a future one-time lay. And he hated to admit it, but Sesshomaru was enjoying the experience, since he'd never actually shared a bed with a woman in his life. "Sleep," he urged her yet again, nuzzling her throat.

**Yay! I was going to do some lime there, but I went, "naw, let's go with fluff! I'm in a fluffy mood right now anyway, my girl time does that to me. The rest of the month I'm horny and bloodthirsty, just like Lord Fluffy. So R&R and I'll get crackin' on another chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Lulled to sleep by the Sesshomaru's gentle petting and the occasional nuzzle, lick or nip to her feverish skin, Usagi eventually dozed back off in his arms and woke just before dawn to find him totally out cold, his breath ghosting along her neck, making her shiver at the sensation.

But she couldn't think about that for long, thanks to her bladder sounding an alarm that had her mentally squirming and her eyes floating. She tried her best to carefully extract herself from the tangle of arms, legs and mokomoko, but it wasn't one minute into her attempt to escape before Sesshomaru's eyes cracked open and they glittered down at her. "Sleep," he ordered, shutting his eyes once more.

"I need to pee, I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. Really, really bad."

Those golden eyes regarded her again and he sleepily blinked before nodding. "This Sesshomaru will take you."

"No, you sleep, Sesshomaru," she said gently with a kiss to the crescent on his forehead. "I'd really like to walk if I can, ok? I'll call for help if I have trouble, and come right back and sleep some more. Kay? Please? Gotta go _now_," she added urgently.

"As you wish," he rumbled, releasing his hold on her and closing his eyes once more, reflecting worriedly that he was having trouble dozing back off without her in the bed. Sure, it was an interesting novelty to hold a female while he slept, but he'd never thought he'd actually miss not having her snuggled tightly to his chest. Those slow, dreamy thoughts were interrupted when she slid back in beside him, though, and Usagi immediately shivered and snuggled tightly into his warmth.

"Cold outside," she whispered. "Gods, you're like a giant fluffy space heater," she added happily, humming with pleasure when he wrapped his arms and mokomoko about her tightly.

"You are still very hot, Usagi. Do you require medicine?"

"Nah," she yawned. "Just sleep… and moonlight. Didn't see any outside, though."

"It is the new moon. Now sleep. This Sesshomaru still requires much rest."

Usagi did as she was told, unable to think of a suitable argument when the crystal in her chest pulsed in approval and made her admit to herself that being in his arms felt like a hundred different kinds of heaven.

She was disappointed to wake again, roused by movement, and found him trying like she had to free himself from her grasp without waking her. "Nope. Stay put, Lord Fluffy. You're warm," she purred sleepily. "Mmm, thanks," she sighed when he only growled a little about addressing him properly, but went still so that she could lay her head on his chest.

"This Sesshomaru has lain in bed far too long," he finally rumbled when she began tracing delicious little patterns on his abs and the markings on his hips that had his inner demon wondering if she was well enough to be seduced. She probably wasn't even aware of doing it; he could tell that she was dozing back off and well on her way to deep sleep.

Usagi shook her head when she felt him move again and cracked open her blue eyes to smile softly up at him. "I take it you don't just relax and enjoy the little things once in a while, do you?" She whispered.

The tousled, sleepy look on her face did funny things to Sesshomaru's stomach—and his groin—when she smiled, and he found himself half-wanting to scurry away from the gorgeous creature in his arms. Damn it, when she genuinely smiled and wasn't simply being a smartass or mouthing off, she was stunningly beautiful, and it wasn't just his libido that was responding. "This Sesshomaru would like a chance to bathe," he finally responded, stopping the unconscious stroking of his hand through her hair when she shivered with pleasure. "I did not venture out while you were ill."

That smile shifted to something light and teasing, and he still marveled at her beauty when she winked at him. "So that's what I smell," she giggled.

"It is likely yourself," he responded almost lightly. "This Sesshomaru was unable to fully bathe you without travelling to the lake and did not want to risk your drowning. Though the thought of letting you crossed my mind several times."

Usagi gawked at that and then laughed. "Are you teasing me, Lord Fluffy?"

"This Sesshomaru does not tease," he replied solemnly, running a hand through his hair as he sat up. "And do not address me as such. It is highly disrespectful. You are allowed great liberty by not even referring to me by title."

"Tell me, Sesshomaru-_**sama,**_ are you uncomfortable?" Usagi chuckled.

Knowing there was some sort of punch line, Sesshomaru nearly didn't answer, but the way her eyes were sparkling happily up at him had him entranced. "With what, pray tell?"

"That gigantic stick in your ass."

"You were much more alluring when your eyes were closed and you refrained from moving or speaking," he grumbled. "With your mouth, it is a wonder that all three of your bodies are not untouched."

"What can I say?" She replied sheepishly. "Many men have found my mouth quite enticing," she giggled, sitting up along with him and handing over the kimono at the head of the bed. The little grin on her lips died when he growled, his gaze locked on her mouth, and she tried for a shaky smile. "It was a joke… sort of."

"Unless it is a platonic reference, you will refrain from speaking of other men in my presence," he ordered stiffly.

The fresh hell…? He was jealous? "I didn't think such a thing would matter to you, since you're just going to fuck me once and leave," Usagi replied seriously. "That's it, right?"

Skirting the point she was trying to make, Sesshomaru donned his clothing and scooped her up, using his youki to fly them to the lake once they were out of the house. It was there that he finally answered. Sort of. "You have decided then. You will lie with this Sesshomaru."

"I never said that!" She yelped, wincing at the ache in her muscles from the fever when she squirmed out of his arms. Damn it, the way she'd worded her question had sounded an awful lot like an acceptance of the inevitable, though. "Contrary to whatever you might think of me, Sesshomaru, I don't just fuck around! I'm over two thousand years old, and every man I've ever shared my body with has been…" She shook her head and sighed sadly. "Special. With every one of them, I had my heart set on something more, and with a few, I had that. But many of them left me or died before I could find that something more."

"I know. This Sesshomaru heard you speaking with the wolf, remember? And it is not my intention to harm you, Usagi. My sole purpose is to give and receive pleasure, and get your scent out of my demon's head. Nothing more."

Usagi could only sigh once more and shed her nightgown, shivering as she waded into the chilly lake where she'd spent many nights in her goddess form. It was only when she heard him joining her in the water that she finally spoke. "Sesshomaru, I'm grateful to you for saving my life and want to find some way to repay you for it, but I don't know if I can just have sex with you in exchange. I don't do things like that."

The inu lord felt a touch of guilt at the tears in her eyes and approached her slowly, kissing the golden crescent blooming on her forehead. "Do not think of it as repayment if the idea repulses you so. This Sesshomaru will not consider it as such."

Usagi relented at the feeling of his genuine concern for her sadness wafting through her empathic powers, and gave his hand a brief squeeze, sensing his unfamiliarity with the gesture. "I'll think about it?" She suggested.

Tipping his head, Sesshomaru felt a little relieved, knowing that she would likely come to the logical conclusion and offer herself. "How long do you require?"

Puzzling over the question, she shrugged slightly. "I… I don't know. It's not the sort of thing that I can decide overnight," she whispered. "I don't understand how a daiyoukai's inner demon works, either. Will it like, get crazy or something if I refuse or wait too long? It would help me make a decision if you could give me some information."

"You may ask this Sesshomaru anything you wish to know, and he will answer truthfully," he replied as he began to wash himself meticulously.

Usagi nodded and produced a bottle of bodywash from her subspace, smiling at how little effort it took to do so. She really was getting better! "Oh, yay, I can even shave my legs," she sighed, retrieving a couple washrags, tossing him one, then digging around for a razor.

"Women in your culture shave their legs?" He asked curiously.

"And their armpits… and a lot of girls shave down there, too," she answered with a hint of color to her cheeks. "Minako once told me that going down shouldn't be like flossing your teeth."

Sesshomaru actually chuckled at that, fighting to keep it from becoming a full-blown laugh, and Usagi beamed at the sound. It was low and sexy, just like his speaking voice, and the way his lips curled up and his eyes glittered with laughter made him simply look kissable. "You should do that more often," she said aloud before she could stop herself. When he stopped chuckling and looked at her questioningly, she shrugged for what felt like the millionth time. "You're very handsome when you smile, Sesshomaru."

There was a long silence when he merely grunted and continued to bathe, and Usagi uncomfortably glanced his way on several occasions—especially when the washrag ventured south and below the waterline. "So, how long can your beastie thing wait?"

"This one does not know." Sesshomaru stopped then and truly contemplated the question. "It is the first time anything like this has happened with a female that was not youkai. And this Sesshomaru has never been denied. A female will emit a scent when she desires sex, and a male will appear and attend to her needs."

"Oh. So the woman just says, 'hey, I'm horny!' and a guy shows up to have sex?"

"If a male in the area is receptive to the idea, he will approach her and take her." Sesshomaru rinsed his hair then and noted that her arms seemed weak as she began to wash her own weighty mane. "This one will help you, megami. Soak it well, then get up on the bank," he ordered with a point of a clawed finger.

Usagi complied, but when he came out of the water, she looked away shyly and focused her eyes on a very interesting tree. Damn, if Sesshomaru wasn't one hot piece of sexy daiyoukai, and if what she'd caught a glimpse of had been any indicator, he was also very, very well endowed.

_You can only prove that by seeing him aroused._

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Usagi hissed down at the silver crystal, tapping the glow in her chest.

Scenting a touch of arousal coming from the goddess patiently waiting for his help, Sesshomaru felt his lips twitching up in a smirk as his ego was generously boosted, knowing that she'd been turned on by what she'd seen. "It is commenting on my body?" Sesshomaru asked in amusement, unable to stop his hands from trailing beneath her hair to drag the tip of a claw down her spine.

"Just on one part of it," Usagi grumbled. _Stop commenting on Lord Fluffy's junk! _

_Lord Sexy is more like it._

Aghast, Usagi just gawked down at the crystal. "You seriously did not just fucking say that! You are such a fucking ho!"

_I call it as I see it._

Chuckling at the healer's flabbergasted expression, Sesshomaru took the bottle of soap from the ground and began to work it into her hair as he simply listened to her quietly argue with her weapon; apparently the crystal was vastly approving of his physique and trying like hell to convince its mistress to surrender her body to him, so he wasn't going to waste his breath on interrupting.

He nearly had all of her hair properly soaped by the time the debate between her and the crystal got heated, and by then it was obvious that she'd forgotten he was even there when she started to loudly rant down at the brightening glow between her breasts.

"That's it! _By the gods_! I _swear_, have you been like, possessed by Mina's starseed or something!? Because you totally fucking sound like her right now! Sesshomaru is not some piece of man meat for you to just gawk at and declare fuckable! He's a person and has other qualities that are just as admirable and sexy as his body, so just shut the fuck up!"

Usagi blushed, swallowed, then turned her head when she heard Sesshomaru chuckle and found him smirking down at her, his ego obviously well-stroked by her outburst. "This one is glad that you find so many of his merits appealing. Come, let me rinse your hair, and you can enlighten me on which qualities you find most attractive."

Once in the water, Usagi had regained her mental balance and she snorted and shook her soapy head when he gestured for her to continue. "Why? I don't have to do a damned thing for you to want to fuck me, Lord Fluffy. Shouldn't it be you that's trying to woo me with compliments?"

"This Sesshomaru believes in actions, not words," he purred as he stepped forward and bent low to nip at her ear. "And do not call me that again. Ill or not, I will punish you for your insolence next time?"

_Is it a punishment if you enjoy it?_

"For the last time, shut up!" Usagi hissed down.

_But you enjoyed it when Alucard punished you for teasing him, if I recall. Wasn't there a silk rope involved and hours of—_

"That was Alucard, not Sesshomaru, and if you don't shut the fuck up, I will pluck you out of me and bury you at the bottom of an ocean!"

"Yes, by all means, cease speaking of this other male. Both of you," the inu lord growled, pulling the healer tight to his chest and lowering her into the water so he could rinse her hair. "Tip your head back," he ordered, then grit his teeth when she did as she was told, fully exposing her throat to him. Such a display communicated a female's total surrender to a male youkai, and the way her eyes were slipping shut in utter trust made him want to wrap her legs around his waist and take her right there. "You need to rinse your own hair," he finally choked out, helping her to stand before backing away quickly.

Usagi had _felt _just why he had backed off and blushed as she also scurried away by a few more feet. "Sorry," she whispered, not even sure why she was apologizing.

_Just as impressive as you thought?_

"Shut up," she hissed for the millionth time at the crystal. Though truth be told, she was quite impressed with the arousal she'd felt pressing into her hip, and she resisted the urge to lick her lips as she totally submerged herself in the water and held her breath, scrubbing the soap from her ankle-length locks. "There, all done," she said when she came up for air, only to find him very, very close. "Sesshomaru?" She squeaked, swimming far back into the deep water to put some space between them, which he only closed once more.

Smelling her fear, the daiyoukai stopped moving and closed his eyes in an effort to block out his inner demon's desire to seduce the hell out of her. "She is still not well," he breathed. "You must be patient."

"Thank you," Usagi whispered when he opened his eyes and regarded her silently. "I'll go put my clothes on, now."

"That would be best."

With that, she dove under and moved swiftly to the shore, gulping for air as she surfaced and drew two towels from her subspace. She set the second on a clean rock for Sesshomaru, wrapped her hair, then dressed in a long skirt and a camisole. "There, all—" She had turned as she'd spoken, and Usagi choked on the rest of her sentence when that godly body came out of the lake fully aroused. "Um—uh—well—"

_Seems you were right, Majesty._

Unable to even retort as she stared with wide blue eyes, Usagi found herself licking her lips and imagining doing the same to the lengthy treat approaching her steadily.

"Do not stick it out unless you plan on using it, megami." Sesshomaru smirked when that little pink wonder disappeared back into her mouth and she turned bright red, swiftly looking away from him and staring off at another very interesting tree.

Still reeling from what would forever be burned into her memory, Usagi didn't even hear him approach and actually yelped when his arms went around her from behind and her nipped at the back of her neck.

"This Sesshomaru is pleased to have made such an impression," he rumbled knowingly, his lips twitching up against her skin. "We shall return now, and you shall rest. This one can tell that your body is sore, and you are still very hot to the touch." When she only nodded and wouldn't look at him, he scooped her up and saw how red she was just before she concealed her face in his kimono. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Usagi. This Sesshomaru has seen you naked many times and you were never bothered by it."

"Because I hang out with mikos in the nude at night and give kisses to boys that have the balls to sneak out and ask for one!" She retorted without looking up. But when he growled, she huffed into the silk and shook her head. "It's a game, so don't get all snarly with me, Lord Fluffy! The boys dare each other to come out to the lake, and if their intentions aren't overly impure, I give them a kiss. If not, the mikos kick them out of the clearing. It's become a rite of passage over the last several years, and now the boys think my kisses are lucky."

Sesshomaru merely grunted and carried her to the futon, placing her carefully upon it before leaving the room and returning with a small clay pot. "Disrobe," he ordered in a business-like tone. When she hesitated he huffed with impatience. "It is an ointment for your aches. The hanyou brought it last night after you had fallen asleep."

"Oh. Well, I can put it on if you'd like and—" Usagi shut her mouth when he shot her a look that told her he would harbor no protests, and quickly shed her camisole. Another sharp look had her discarding her skirt as well, and she laid back down and gazed up at him a little nervously when he knelt beside her on the futon.

"Relax," he grunted, dipping his fingers into the pot to coat them in a lavender-scented ointment. He started with her arms, carefully spreading and massaging the medicine into her biceps, working his way down to her hands to gentle work it into every sore joint. By the time he finished with her second arm, Sesshomaru paused for only a moment to take in her angelic face. Her nerves seemed to have disappeared, and her blue eyes were half-closed and her body relaxed, and every now and then she had let out a little sigh of pleasure whenever he'd nursed a spot that was bothering her.

Usagi's chest came next, and Sesshomaru hummed in amusement when he began to massage the ointment into her breasts and she let out a sound so quiet that he barely even heard it. "I am hurting you?" He asked, knowing very well that he was doing quite the opposite. There was already a hint of arousal perfuming the air as he slowly rubbed the medicine into her nipples, dragging his thumbs over them several times even after he had finished with them.

"Fine," she peeped, gnawing on her lower lip as he moved to the undersides of her breasts. Gods, his hands felt like absolute heaven, and if she'd been in her goddess form she wouldn't have bothered choking back the soft moans that were threatening to erupt from her mouth. When he reached her flat stomach she relaxed again and thanked the gods that he was no longer in a place that would arouse her badly, even though his gentle ministrations weren't curbing the heat that had built between her thighs. "My back is the worst," she managed when his fingers drifted further south and stroked over her curls.

"Then turn," he said, fighting back a chuckle. He knew damned well what she was doing; he could smell her desire and she was obviously giving herself some time to calm down before he moved on to her thighs. Well, this little megami was about to discover that he could use any part of her body to turn her on, whether or not it was normally one of her sensitive spots… and of course, there was another little matter that he still had to deal with, but he would get to _that_ bit of business shortly.

Relaxing on her stomach, Usagi sighed in relief, but was quickly shutting her mouth and breathing in sharply when he delicately caressed the length of her spine with only his nails. "No, Sesshomaru," she whimpered. "Wrong body… and I haven't decided."

"And you are still ill," he added to her list of complaints, "but it does not mean I am not curious."

"You're curious an awful lot, aren't you?" She muttered dryly.

"It is in this one's nature; he is a dog demon. Dogs are extremely curious creatures, especially when it concerns certain scents… and the scent you are emitting now is very enticing."

"I can't help that and you know it." She then shivered when his claws whispered over her sides, and tried not to jump as they curved over her hipbones. "Ticklish there!" She warned him, sagging when he withdrew and returned to her shoulders, his hands now lightly coated in salve. "Besides myself, what are you curious about?"

"This Sesshomaru will admit the he is very curious about human mating customs. You have yet to ask me any questions, so I do not know if our cultures greatly vary."

"Oh, well…" Usagi puzzled that over for a moment as he lingered at her shoulders, massaging them until she was relaxing into the futon and sighing with pleasure. "Mmm… don't youkai date?" When he didn't answer, she elaborated. "Courting, I suppose."

"Like the hanyou and the miko did before they mated," he uttered softly. "No. This one is sure his father courted the hanyou's mother as well, but youkai do not normally mate with the same partner more than once."

"Huh? What about your parents?" Usagi asked, turning her head to see his eyes bleeding a little red around the edges. She swallowed at the sight and quickly backpedaled. "Never mind, sorry I asked."

"No, this Sesshomaru vowed to answer your questions honestly. InuTaisho and InuKimi were an arranged pairing, since my father was the Lord of the West and needed an heir. Once that heir was produced, they spent less time together… even though they were bound as mates. InuTaisho became infatuated with a human princess and mated her after several years away from my mother."

"Wow… that's kinda fucked up," Usagi whispered. "Please tell me she kicked his ass?"

"My mother bore him no ill will. Why she did not puzzles me greatly to this day. I would have been furious if I had been in her place. Inu mate for life once a bond is formed."

"That's so sad, Sesshomaru. I'm sorry." Usagi closed her eyes then as he gradually worked lower, clearly massaging her back beyond the purpose of simply applying the medicine.

"Do not be. Tell me, do humans mate for life as well?"

"Mmhmm… I've been married a few times, actually. For life," she sighed sadly.

"They passed on."

"Yeah… I was married to Sabin the longest, and it was a wonderful life with him. He had a lot of great friends that I enjoyed spending time with as well. Even his pervert brother, Edgar. He's a lot like Miroku, I imagine. Kagome told me all about him. The longest relationship was Alucard, though… we weren't married in the technical sense since he thought the ceremony was meaningless, and I sure as hell wasn't going to force him into a church," she added with a tiny smile. "Er, a temple," she corrected when she sensed Sesshomaru's confusion.

"Ah. Inu mating is done with a mark to the shoulder or the neck, either just before or during the consummation. There is no ceremony."

"Sounds a lot like Alucard," she giggled. "Gods, I miss him… I hope he's doing alright."

"He could not tolerate your light? I recall you saying as much before."

Usagi nodded and sighed wistfully. "I could have stayed in this form, but I would have died of old age if I'd stayed in it too long, and since Alucard is immortal, the temptation to bite me and make me like him was too great. At least in this body. So after a close call, I stayed as Serenity or Cosmos. His kind can't tolerate the sunlight, and I love it too much to let it go," she explained. "They also drink blood."

"Which this one has noted, you are not fond of."

"Ew, no. Not at all. Mmm… right there," she purred when he moved to her lower back. "When I'm a little better, I wouldn't mind returning the favor, Sesshomaru. You ever had a massage?"

"Yes, this one has had many. Remember that I am a lord. But if you are offering for the sake of exploring this Sesshomaru, I have no objections," he chuckled, sliding his hands down to her perfectly rounded bottom. He relished the soft moan that escaped her lips then and rewarded her with a caress to her inner thighs, which drew another one from her throat. He'd been arousing her the whole time without her even realizing it as he'd distracted her with conversation, and now every inch of her was tingling with sensitivity and begging to be touched.

"Sessh… Sesshomaru…? I… I think we should stop," she gasped as he moved to her thighs and they parted on their own as her body ached for more.

"No, I do not think we should," he replied with a thoughtful hum. "There appears to be an ache here that requires my utmost attention." He said that with a slow stroke to the crease of her sex, and wasn't disappointed when she whimpered and involuntarily arched into it. "Besides… this Sesshomaru promised punishment should you refer to him disrespectfully. You did so while we were returning to your home." Scenting her fear, he eased his fingers past her folds, careful not to prick her with his poisonous claws. "Do not worry; this Sesshomaru has no intention of harming you or taking you. This time. And if you hold still and do not complain, I will not withhold your pleasure."

_Just go with it! Enjoy it!_

_Do not fight him, he is serious about that and will coerce your submission should you struggle._

That first voice in Usagi's head had come from the crystal, but the second had been from the Tensaiga and sent a shiver down her spine as she tried not to moan and encourage the daiyoukai gently caressing her sensitive flesh. Then a thought struck her and she turned her head to glare at him. "And just how is this a punishment?" She snorted. "Getting me off is more like a reward."

Humming in amusement, Sesshomaru flipped her and pinned her arms behind her head. "Call it a lesson, then. A lesson in self-restraint, megami. For if you move an inch, this Sesshomaru will cease to touch you." It would also be a lesson for him, and he would learn what pleased her, what would make her moan and writhe for more, since she was sure to move a few times throughout the ordeal. "Hopefully this will teach you to control your tongue as well as it teaches you to control your body."

**Oh yeah. Lime ahoy! Next chapter bumps us up to rated M, ladies! So R&R and I'll post it! I want some reviews, damn it! …and if I don't get a lot, I'll have someone bust in and interrupt before he's even properly teasing her! :P Mwuhahahahahahaha! If I do, someone will knock after she's gotten dressed. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Heeeee… so many reviews! Wow, I should withhold smut more often! Hahahaha… I didn't wait so long purposely, though, I promise you. My regular fans know that my sister passed away in May, and I've been helping my mom go through her things and get them ready for a yard sale. Seriously, my advice to anyone without life insurance—no matter HOW YOUNG you are, GET IT. A burial, even a cheap one, runs 8-10k and it has broken us. She was 28 and didn't have any insurance, and now we're all working to pay off the loan we had to take out for the funeral. SO GET IT.**

** That aside, we're also moving to where Sesshy's Mistress lives (yay! Two great writers in one town, weee!) so I've been packing and working extra hours to afford the move. Ugh. So, read on, enjoy your lime smut, and R&R!**

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, Sesshomaru kissed her forcefully and wasn't surprised to feel her struggle against the arm pinning her down, so he stopped and simply held her there as he teased her inner thighs with his free hand. "Hn… this one has plans to give you great pleasure, Usagi. I did not expect you to submit easily, but I suggest that you cease your protestations."

Her blue eyes burning with anger, she glared up at him silently for a long moment before speaking. "Go choke on that ego, Lord Fluffy."

"Hm, most amusing. This Sesshomaru will educate you on how to properly address him," he chuckled before nipping at her ear. "I shall have you reciting my name properly by the time we are finished with the lesson. Over and over," he breathed as he trailed his mouth down her throat.

Brain growing fuzzy from the way he was slowly worshiping her skin with his lips, teeth and tongue, Usagi couldn't trap the helpless sound that escaped her when he reached her breast and drug a fang over the nipple. "Ok, ok! Your name is Sesshomaru, I get it! Now please stop it before—" She was cut off by his right hand stroking her sex once more and ended the sentence with a strangled moan, her hips arching off the futon and into his skilled fingers. But then he stopped again and she writhed, her body begging for more even as her mind was still trying like hell to resist him.

"This Sesshomaru warned you not to move," he sighed, retreating his claws to her curls, lightly stroking her as he delicately traced a nipple with the tip of his tongue. It was when she stilled and he returned to gently rubbing her clit that he smelled salt and looked up to find her crying.

That sight froze even his beast and wilted his arousal, and the inu lord immediately released her, gazing down at her in genuine concern. "Usagi… did this one harm you?"

Sobbing softly, she looked away from him and curled up on her side. "I told you to stop," she finally choked out.

Honestly stumped, Sesshomaru sat back and studied her silently, unable to make neither heads nor tails of the situation. "This Sesshomaru was going to pleasure you."

"I said no!" She yelled, sitting up and shoving at him hard. And when he growled at her, she bared her teeth in response, her eyes flickering to silver. "No means no, asshole! When a woman says no, you _stop_!"

"You are aroused… heavily so. And this one was not going to take you, so he does not understand your reluctance… or your anger."

The fire leaving her eyes, Usagi wiped at her tears and shook her head in exasperation. Clearly, he really didn't understand how things worked with humans and was going to need a few lessons. "You just don't do that, Sesshomaru. When a woman asks you to stop, you do it. Just because you've aroused her body doesn't mean that her heart is on board with it. And on top of it, I don't feel well, so just give me a damned break, ok?"

"Your fever aside, it is the youkai way. A female is aroused and a male takes care of her needs," he protested sharply. "How is this a bad thing?"

"Look, I know you don't get it, but it's not how humans do things! Ask Kagome if you don't believe me! I don't know how else to explain it, Sesshomaru! You can't just pin me down and decide that you're going to punish me or whatever for calling you 'Lord Fluffy.' Hell, you call me 'healer' or 'megami' instead of by my name."

"Ah. This Sesshomaru sees, now. You do not wish to be punished. It is demeaning to you as a female."

"I also want to be respected, damn it. If I say no to something, stop what you're doing. You can't just force yourself on me like that, Sessh. Even if you are just getting me off. Ask or something, damn it."

"Ignoring the fact that you just addressed me disrespectfully yet again…" The inu lord smirked as he gently pushed her back down onto the futon and nipped at her lower lip. "May this Sesshomaru give you pleasure?" His smirk widened a bit when she just stared at him wordlessly. "I am asking... as you have requested. No more inu mating games."

That made Usagi blink and sigh in understanding. "That was a game." Damn it, and now she was wording questions as statements just like he was! Ergh!

"Of course. Inu like mating games. This Sesshomaru is no exception to the rule, and mating games can be quite enjoyable for both parties." Never mind that he'd never actually played one before; he'd only read about them in books since he'd never partnered with a single female youkai more than once. He'd fantasized about it, though, and Usagi had seemed like a prime candidate to try it out with.

He huffed at the disbelief in her eyes and drew back again. "You thought that this one was genuinely angry with you and was truly punishing you." Her nod made him rub the bridge of his nose in agitation and he realized that they both had an awful lot to learn about the other before a coupling was even possible. If they didn't, one of them would most likely do something to scare or anger the other and the shit would hit the fan. "We shall both teach each other our customs, then."

"Starting with this," Usagi said, beckoning him over, no longer angry with him. When he complied and was kneeling right in front of her, she leaned in and kissed him, keeping the motions slow and soft. And when she pulled away she found his eyes turning a little pink, his arousal evident through his hakama. "We've never even been intimate, Sesshomaru. Usually two people wait until they've had sex quite a bit before they break out the kinky stuff like games. But," she added when he opened his mouth, "I guess I'm willing to play a game _**if**_ I decide to sleep with you. Maybe even now, but just… keep it light—nothing crazy. Ok?" When he nodded once, she kissed him again, running her fingers over his markings, but when she reached his jaw and her hand travelled to his throat, he snatched it up and she gasped.

"Do not touch this Sesshomaru's neck," he choked out, fighting down his inner demon. "If I were to allow it, it would be a sign of submission."

"Oh. Sorry," she whispered. Usagi smiled when she switched her grip so that she was grasping his hand in turn, and drew it to her own throat. "Better?"

"Much," he purred, caressing the tender flesh, careful not to prick her in such a vital area. "This sort of gesture displays immense trust in a male, Usagi."

"Why wouldn't I trust you? You saved my life, Sesshomaru."

"No female has allowed this one such a liberty," he rumbled thoughtfully as he gently traced her carotid with a single claw. "It would be so easy to kill a female while mating her, so simple to err in the heat of the moment… hm… you must have enormous faith in my control, Usagi." Strange, how that was the highest compliment he'd ever been paid by a member of the opposite sex.

"I do." Gods, having his fingers caressing her neck felt wonderful, and she couldn't help but want to kiss him just then. She hummed with pleasure when it was like he was reading her mind and his lips slanted over hers, but when she tried to deepen it after a few moments, he pulled away sharply. "What's wrong? Don't youkai French kiss?"

"Inu youkai don't kiss at all," he informed her.

A slow smile spread over her mouth at that. "So… I was your first kiss when you were shutting me up?" When he nodded, she slid back and gestured for him to lay down. "Come on, Sesshomaru, you're going to have your first genuine make-out session. Call it a learning experience," she added when he hesitated.

"Touching and exploring?"

"Anything goes except sex," she confirmed. "But if I ask you to slow it down…?" Another nod had her smiling softly up at him. "Well… then come on, already. I ain't got all day, Lord Sexy."

Unable to stop it, Sesshomaru laughed at that and was still chuckling when he laid down beside her. "Disrespectful as hell, but this one shall let it go."

"Damn right, you will. Now lay down," she giggled, rolling on top of him… only to be dumped onto her back by a growling daiyoukai, her ear pinched between his fangs. "Ok?" She squeaked. "What did I just do wrong?"

Forcing his demon to calm down, Sesshomaru finally released her earlobe and huffed down at her in annoyance. "The female is never on top. This is something that this Sesshomaru will not allow. Understood?"

"You could have just said so and not gotten all snappish, honey. Geez, I nearly peed myself. And for the record, I am a spectacular lover when I'm top, thank you very much. You don't know what you're missing, Sesshomaru."

"This one does not, and never will know. I am an alpha inu male; I shall never allow a female to dominate me." He flinched and clenched his teeth when she tugged at the sash holding his kimono in place, resisting the urge to clamp down on her ear again. "And the male disrobes both himself and the female. You must lie still, Usagi."

"Where is the fun in that?" She sighed. "I don't enjoy just lying there, Sesshomaru. I like to participate. Please?"

"Explain," he ordered as he sat up and removed his kimono and toed off his boots, leaving him in only his hakama and fundoshi. "Perhaps we reach a compromise."

Relieved that he was willing to make some concessions, Usagi sat up and couldn't help but lightly stroke the tanned, ripped chest in front of her. "Normally, a woman touches and pleases the man just as much as he does for her."

"But that is not complete submission," he grumbled.

"Tell you what? Let's… let's just work on kissing for a little bit. Kissing and a little bit of exploring," she amended, unable to deny her own desire to touch him freely. "Don't youkai touch each other during sex at all? Or just the male?" Before he could even answer, she was shaking her head. "Why don't you just explain the basics to me… how it works with youkai. So I know what to expect?"

Pleased with this line of questioning, Sesshomaru lay on his side and tugged her down to join him. "Youkai mating is typically fast, hard and brief, and only lasts long enough to ensure the pleasure of both parties, unless the female is a virgin." He sensed her flinching a little at that and stopped himself before he nipped at her ear in admonishment. "You have a problem with that."

Turning a little red as she tried to word her response, Usagi shrugged. "Youkai don't… make love?"

"This one is not familiar with such a term. Explain."

"Well, making love… there's a lot of kissing and petting and foreplay. Wait, do youkai even have foreplay?" She asked as she fluffed her hair thoughtfully.

Fairly sure he understood her meaning, Sesshomaru briefly bared his fangs in a grin before he went back to his usual non-expression, and he noted the way that her arousal increased at the sight of him almost smiling. "Youkai will sometimes fight before mating; inu youkai however…" He gave her that brief grin once more, awfully amused by the thought of how she'd react to being pinned down with his teeth and fucked soundly. "This one would coerce submission from a female if need be, since her scent called him in the first place. Touching and licking beforehand is common when claiming a virgin bitch in heat."

"Let's get something straight," Usagi snorted. "If you ever refer to me as a bitch, or your bitch… I will put you through a fucking wall. Understood?"

Aware of the double meaning of the word among humans, Sesshomaru actually chuckled before tipping his head in understanding. "Explain more about making love. I would not want to unintentionally do something taboo where human mating is concerned."

She smiled gently up at him and gave his hand a little squeeze, and was surprised when he looked down at their joined fingers and returned the gesture. "You have an awful lot to learn about human gestures of affection," she said sweetly. "But that's ok, we'll work on it. And making love… it's slow, gentle…" She chuckled when he lifted an incredulous silver brow. "What?"

"Then how is it pleasurable in the least?" Sesshomaru muttered. His body responded to that beautiful, silver bell-like laugh and the way she leaned into him while she got it out of her system. "This one is serious."

"If you let me actually touch you and participate, it's very enjoyable," Usagi assured him. She squeaked a little in alarm when he suddenly rolled on top of her and nipped at her chin. "Sesshomaru?"

"Show me," he ordered softly, his golden eyes glittering with a mixture of desire and curiosity. "All of it." Noting that she was still a little hot, he brushed his lips against hers. "All but for the actual mating," he corrected.

Still ridiculously aroused from before, Usagi nodded her consent and trailed her nails lightly down his back, making him growl softly in a mixture of pleasure and disapproval. "You have to trust me, Sesshomaru; as much as I trust you. Now… open your mouth a little," she breathed against his lips, leaning up for a kiss.

It took him a full minute of slow, sweet kissing before he cracked his lips open, and the inu lord found himself gasping in surprised pleasure at the first stroke of her tongue over his. Gods, she tasted amazing… even better than she smelled, and when she slanted her mouth over his for a better angle and carefully began to explore the inside of his mouth, he groaned and gradually returned it, tasting her in turn. And before Sesshomaru knew it, his inner demon was taking over, his eyes bleeding red and his markings growing jagged as he devoured the golden-haired woman beneath him, her soft noises of pleasure echoing into his mouth as she moaned and whimpered with need.

It was Usagi's turn to gasp when she felt his arousal grinding into her core in a slow, lazy motion as the daiyoukai pinning her communicated his desire for her without words, and she found herself unable to stop from hooking a leg about his waist and rocking up in response. "Sesshomaru," she gasped between kisses, "if… you need me… to…"

"Yes," he growled when he felt her hand travelling south, a groan escaping him the moment she stroked him shyly through his clothing. He rewarded her with a nip to her throat, using his nose to tip her head back in total submission as he stroked her in turn and she moaned loudly. Gods, it was like music to his ears. "Want you now," he whispered as he jerked down his hakama and fundoshi and tossed both to the side. "Transform," he ordered hoarsely.

"But… you said…" Usagi was silenced with a ravenous red-eyed stare and swallowed in reaction; damn if he wasn't terrifying when his demon was fully loosed… but he was also ridiculously arousing, as well. _Guess I have to blame Vincent and Alucard for turning me on to inner demons, _she mused. Grasping at her power, she licked her lips as she transformed… but then nothing happened.

"Try it again," he ordered roughly, fighting down every urge to flip her over and drive forward. Sesshomaru felt that familiar flicker of light within her, but when nothing happened again he growled loudly in frustration. "Relax and this Sesshomaru will properly prepare you," he commanded imperiously.

Usagi instantly balked at that, and when she struggled and he immediately pinned her and nipped at her ear hard enough to draw blood, she whimpered in fear. "Please don't, Sesshomaru. Please don't do this… I can give you relief if you need it, just lay down."

Her shaky offer wasn't what made him relent, it was the taste of her silver-edged blood from where he'd scratched her earlobe with his teeth… and the lingering taste of illness within it. And she was still hot, far too hot for even his demon to ignore. With every ounce of self-restraint he possessed, his markings grew a little less jagged as he kissed her fiercely, growling and nodding in approval when he released her hands and she began to stroke him gently. Then he heard her asking him between kisses to lie down and he shook his head. "This one will not submit, megami."

"It's not submission," she whispered as her hand circled him and stroked upwards, her mouth kissing over his chest. "If anything, it's me submitting and not you." When he growled again, she managed a shaky smile and pushed at his hips. "Then stand up," she suggested.

That was something Sesshomaru could comply with, and even his demon was curious enough to allow him to separate from her warmth and climb to his feet. But when she rose onto her knees and kissed his inner thigh, he realized what she was about to do and stepped away. "No."

"And why the hell not?" Usagi snorted in amusement. "You've done the same for women and—oh. Heh… fangs, I got it." She grinned at that, showing off her pearly whites. "See? Blunt. And I know what I'm doing; I'm not going to hurt you, Sesshomaru." While he seemed to be considering the offer, she dipped forward and ran her tongue over the length of him and chuckled when he let out a soft groan. "And since I'm running a fever, I'm sure I'll feel awfully warm," she whispered in an attempt to convince him to let her continue. Still, there was hesitation in his eyes, even after she scooted closer and ran a single open-mouthed kiss over the weeping head of his cock. "I can always stop if you say so, Sesshomaru… just show a little trust," Usagi breathed, the warmth of it tickling him and making him shiver. "It'll feel so good."

His demon was rising up again in utter lust and as he gave a minute nod and she began to slowly kiss and lick at his throbbing arousal, Sesshomaru gripped her hair roughly and uttered a loud groan. "Yes," he hissed out. "More."

Her fear receding at his utter enthrallment with her oral skill, Usagi smiled slightly as she took half of his length in her mouth and sucked gently, careful not to let him feel so much as a scraping of her teeth. She was rewarded with another loud utterance of pleasure, and encouraged by the sound, she began a slow rhythm while she constantly bathed him with her tongue and sought out every little spot that would make him crazy.

She discovered one of those areas on the underside of his shaft, and when he fisted her hair tighter and thrust forward with a snarl, she moaned in response and tongued it again, feeling him quicken and harden further. But then she was pulling back and teasing the head, her eyes twinkling up at him mischievously.

_You ought not to tease him, _the Tensaiga warned.

_Yeah, I'd have to agree, _the ginzuishou added seriously. _Unless you feel like having this body fucked into the floorboards._

_Oh fine, _Usagi giggled in reply when the inu lord she was pleasuring growled down at her once and bared his teeth demandingly. "Shh," she soothed him. "I won't deny you your pleasure, honey." She then took him as deep as she could, her tongue laving that spot generously while she sucked and her throat contracted around him. Usagi found herself moaning when he unexpectedly panted her name, totally turned on by his desire for her, her hands gripping his hips as she took him straight to the edge of heaven.

And then he was coming, groaning something strangled from between his teeth as he was washed in a tsunami of pleasure that wiped his mind clean for several moments, his eyes rolling back in rapture. The daiyoukai lord was slightly embarrassed when he felt a pair of arms catch him; the pleasure had been so great, so intense that he'd actually collapsed onto his knees and was now leaning against her for support. "A—Amazing," he gasped. "Never has this Sesshomaru felt such pleasure."

"Heh… do I get to say 'I told you so' on this one?" Usagi chuckled. "Because I did tell you I was quite skilled with my mouth."

"If you utter such a thing, this one will not reward you as he had planned," he purred with a nip to her throat.

"Depending on the reward, I may be convinced to shut up," she replied with a sly grin. "Well?" She asked after several moments of waiting.

"This one was curious as to just how long you would shut up. You lasted only twelve seconds."

Jaw hanging up, Usagi could only gape, then lightly slapped his ass. "Tease!"

"This Sesshomaru does not tease," he countered with a hint of a laugh as he tipped her onto her back, followed by a slow raking of his teeth down her throat. "Now… this one has allowed you to teach him about a human mating custom. I believe it is my turn to teach."

Before Usagi could reply, she was flipped onto her stomach, then drawn up onto her knees with one of his strong arms wrapped about her waist. "Sesshomaru?" She asked hesitantly. Sure, he was still flaccid, but he was pressing intimately to her folds, and while it was a turn-on, it was still terrifying because of her current form.

"Relax. Trust."

That was all she'd asked of him before, so Usagi nodded and tried to still the trembling in her weakened arms—he must have noticed her discomfort though, and she sighed with relief when she was lowered onto her chest, her pert behind still sticking up in the air. "Ok… I'm ready to trust," she whispered in trepidation. Her anxiety melted, though, when she felt him carefully probing her entrance, gently moving his fingers so as to avoid nicking her with his claws. "Mmm… why not on my back?" She mumbled inquisitively.

"Utter submission," Sesshomaru breathed in her ear. "Now, stay silent unless you wish for this one to punish you."

Knowing that it was just a game, due to what he'd explained before, Usagi snorted and rolled her eyes. "What if it feels good? I have to stay quiet the whole time?" She yelped when she felt a sting on her ass, followed by a slow, warm caress that had her whimpering with pleasure. "Damn, I'm such a freak," she muttered. Another admonishment came for her speaking out of turn and she yelped again, only to moan when his hand was replaced with a wet tongue stroking over the sting.

Sesshomaru grinned, then drug his fangs over her reddened skin, pleased when she moaned yet again. "Unless you are voicing your sheer delight with this Sesshomaru, you are to remain silent. Hn… you may beg, as well," he added as an afterthought.

"Heh, I'm not the begging type," she countered, jumping and gasping the moment his hand came down on her other cheek just hard enough to sting a little.

"No, you are the type that does not know when to shut up," he snorted before dipping his face a little lower.

A soft moan escaped her lips when she suddenly felt his tongue stroke over the crease of her sex, and her body moved instinctively to give him better access, which was met with another arousing pop to her bottom. "Sesshomaru?"

"Do not move. This is how I would prepare you for mating, Usagi."

"By slapping my ass and shoving me onto my face?" She snickered. "Wow, how romantic!"

Concealing his own tiny grin, Sesshomaru whacked her lightly and nipped at her inner thigh before giving her another slow lick. "This Sesshomaru would not normally strike you… but since you seem to enjoy it… strange woman," he added with a chuckle. "Now do not speak or move if you wish for this one to continue."

"Yes, Master Sesshomaru," Usagi giggled, and only laughed harder when he didn't whack her for speaking. "What, was that one allowed?"

"This one thought he would allow it, since you rarely address him so respectfully," the inu lord replied wryly. Before she could open her mouth again, he jerked her to his mouth and growled in approval at the taste of her when he slipped his tongue into her heat, his beast coming loose and taking control, lapping up the proof of her desire like it was some sort of treat. Gods, she tasted amazing! And the delightful little sounds she was making were like music to his inner demon's pointy ears as she made an obvious effort not to move, her hands fisting in the sheets beneath her.

It wasn't until his tongue began to pay special attention to her clit that Usagi lost control and moaned loudly, her body rocking back in a silent plea for more, and when he drew his face away from her she squirmed. "I didn't tease you, Sesshomaru, so please don't do it to me!" She whined.

Grasping her hips, he smoothly flipped her onto her back and ran his teeth lightly over her thigh. "Tell me, megami… have you had pleasure in this body? Or only the others?"

"Not in this one," she replied breathlessly. "So please don't stop, Sesshomaru. Please!"

Humming in approval, he gave her one slow lick just to hear her whimper his name, then slipped his fingers inside of her. His careful, lazy thrusting had her moaning loudly despite the touch of discomfort she felt from being stretched, and Sesshomaru licked his lips at the sight of her head rolling back, exposing her throat in an inu sign of submission. "This one will not deny you, either, Usagi."

She couldn't even reply before she felt his tongue returning to her sex, gently flicking her clit, and combined with the movement of his hand she was writhing and gripping at his hair. But even though she was moving, he didn't stop and the moment she began to crest, he began to suck, sending her hurtling over the edge with a loud cry of his name.

"Satisfied?" The daiyoukai purred as he lapped up the results of his handiwork. "Or do you require more?"

"Mmm…"

"Usagi?"

"Thought you didn't… want me to talk…" she whispered deliriously, a tiny smile of utter satisfaction on her lips. Usagi felt warm when she heard him suddenly laugh, and when she felt his lips on hers she opened to him and sighed happily when he kissed her deeply.

"You should sleep," he finally said once they'd broken the kiss and he was nibbling at her throat. "This one should have made you rest instead of indulging his inner demon."

"Mmm… I'm cool with the indulgence, trust me… that was awesome, Sessh." A nip to her ear made her giggle again and she cracked open her eyes to see his typical frown, only it was coupled with a light of amusement in those golden orbs. "Oh come on, your name is almost as much a mouthful as your cock, Sesshomaru. Even I have nicknames. I'm Usa in this body and Sere in my goddess form."

"This one does not do nicknames," he snorted. "Unless it is to refer to the hanyou as 'the whelp.'"

"Ah, you're such a people person," she remarked, tugging the blanket up around both of them, shivering slightly. She yawned then and snuggled into him, uncaring as to whether or not he would allow it. It felt nice, and she'd always been a snuggler, with or without sex being involved.

Her snuggling was cut short when there was a knock at the door, and Usagi sighed when Sesshomaru immediately snarled and rolled off of the futon to don his hakama. "At least they didn't interrupt," she pointed out.

That was true, Sesshomaru noted silently. If anyone had knocked while they'd been enjoying each other's bodies, he would have put the visitor through a wall. "Cover up," he ordered when he scented his brother just outside, fighting down that foreign emotion called jealousy. No one would see her nude and live to tell the tale. No other male, at least.

"What."

Inuyasha tried for an easy-going grin when his elder half-brother cracked open the door and glared at him, but it quickly became a smile and a waggling of his eyebrows when he saw Sesshomaru's bare chest and smelled sex coming off of him strongly. "Did I interrupt anything?" He snickered.

"Believe me… if you had, this Sesshomaru would be killing you right now. I ask again… what."

"Kagome wanted to come up, but since Usagi's still sick, I convinced her to stay put… after she 'sat' me four or five times," he added with a grumble. "She wanted to make sure Usagi was getting better. She is, isn't she?"

"The healer is recovering, but still runs a fever. Is that all?" Sesshomaru asked, itching to shut the door.

"Kaede said she wouldn't be contagious once she drank that potion."

Seeing the way Inuyasha was shifting a little nervously, Sesshomaru let out a sigh of annoyance, turned to make sure that Usagi was covered, then swung the door open. "The miko ordered you to get visual confirmation. Why you follow the orders of a woman so blindly is beyond this one's ken, whelp."

"Because she can sit his ass a million times," Usagi answered with a chuckle. "And give Inuyasha a break, Fluffy," she added lightly, smirking knowingly when he growled, knelt, and nipped at her ear. "Fine, I'll stick to Lord Sexy, then. Better?"

"You are trying this one's patience, Usagi. Lie down and rest; you are still hot to the touch." Unthinkingly, he followed up with another nip, but to her throat instead, then helped her lay down while keeping her covered to his brother's eyes. "Satisfied, hanyou? She is well enough to annoy me." The troubled, intense look on the hanyou's face had him concerned, and Sesshomaru stood and led him back outside. "What is wrong."

Fidgeting, Inuyasha wasn't sure how to answer without irking his brother, but tried anyway. "I wasn't exactly a slut before Kagome, but I'd had my share of women, Sesshomaru… and I never, ever nipped at the throat with any of them. Except for Kagome."

His eyes going wide for a split second, then narrowing dangerously, the inu lord realized his error and growled. "This one has been caring for her for days. It is… nothing more than… simple affection. Nothing more," he repeated.

"Sesshomaru, if you like her, there's nothing wrong with that. I can smell sex on you… but you didn't actually mate her while she's sick, did you?" A silent glare answered his question and he shrugged. "Well… I know you don't need advice, but—"

"You are correct, this Sesshomaru does not require advice of any sort in regards to females. Go home to your mate, whelp."

**R&R people! Please! It's been such a long past week!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Whew… took forever before I felt even an inkling of inspiration for this fic, but I finally did! Yaaaay! And sorry for the wait, but I won't force a chapter no matter how badly I want to update something. I write when I'm inspired to do so, and I'd like to think that that's why my work is good. So… without further ado… more problems for Lord Fluffy. :D**

"Everything ok?" Usagi asked softly, already half-dozing when Sesshomaru closed the door behind him a little loudly, his eyes bleeding pink. "Sessh?"

"Do not call me that," he snapped out coldly, then pointed at her with a single claw. "Now go to sleep, healer."

She fully roused at that and sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru, but what's wrong?" She worried her lower lip when he only glared at her, wondering if… "Did I do something to upset you?" She whispered.

No, it was the hanyou that had done something; he'd made the inu lord realize that he was beginning to care for this weak little human female, and that did not sit well with him at all. Nipping and kissing the throat of a female was something reserved for mates, not for casual lays, and in attempting to satisfy her strange human customs he'd ignored that. "Lie down, shut up and sleep. Now. Or this one will knock you out, healer."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Usagi flopped back down and rolled so that she was facing the wall and he couldn't see her crying. "My name is Usagi," she choked out. "And if you're going to be a bag of dicks, then you can't call me anything else, Sesshomaru-_**sama**_."

Baring his teeth at the feeling of his inner demon fighting him tooth and nail, urging him to comfort her somehow the moment he smelled her tears, Sesshomaru simply growled and clenched his fists tightly as he continued to fight for control over his traitorous body. "Go to sleep and stop that crying. Usagi."

_If you want the goddess to sleep with you, hurting her feelings is not the way to win her over._

"Silence," Sesshomaru ground out at the Tensaiga. "This does not concern you." Never mind that the sword had never given him anything but sound advice whenever it had deigned to speak with him. And never mind that he'd had every intention of staying in the bed and holding her to keep her warm and take in that delicious scent of hers… before Inuyasha had shown up, anyway.

He seemingly ignored her quiet, frustrated and exhausted sobbing—while he was truly battling with his inner demon for control—and after she finally dozed off, he cleaned up to give himself something to do, to keep him busy and ignore the scent of sex and _her_.

Even lighting some scented candles that he'd found and opening the windows didn't quite get the lingering aroma out of the air, but it helped, and Sesshomaru found it easier to function after a few hours and several trips outside for fresh air.

It was on his return from the last trip that he found her shivering, and when he checked her, she was nearly as hot as she had been before he'd given her Kaede's remedy. Swearing under his breath, he stripped the covers off of her and began an alcohol rub, ignoring her soft, unintelligible mutter when she protested in her sleep.

Once that was done, it was time for meds, and he roused her enough to dose her with a happy pill and a few of those brown pills, coupled with a full glass of juice. His demon was in full control by the time he settled in beside her, his sensitive nose protesting the strong smell of alcohol, but his beast demanded that he help ease her shivering and stay close to keep an eye on her. Frankly, fighting himself and his demon's instincts had him worn out, and even Sesshomaru could only take so much. So he stopped fighting it and held her tightly to him, his face buried in her throat while he enjoyed the feeling of her breath ghosting over his bare chest and the naked length of her feverish body pressing intimately to him.

Dear gods, surrendering to anything should never have felt so good.

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Sesshomaru woke the moment he felt a shove to his chest; it was weak at best, but it was still more than enough to alert him and draw him out of his nap. "Sleep," he grunted, too tired after battling his inner demon to even want to argue with her.

Usagi just glowered up at him and shoved once more. She'd been awake for well over ten minutes, and when she'd first cracked her eyes open, she'd been too stunned to find him in her bed to even move. That shock had given way to wondering if him cuddling up to her had been his form of an apology, but after a minute of gently exploring his markings, she noticed the bottle of alcohol, the rag, and the medicine he'd left at the bedside.

Her fever had gone back up. That was the only reason he'd come to her bed. Sure, she appreciated the concern, but it was nothing more than his unease over her dying before he got a chance to satisfy his lust with her. Not like she actually cared or anything, of course… because he sure didn't.

"Get out of my bed," she finally ordered.

"No. This Sesshomaru requires rest. Now be silent and sleep, Usagi." He growled in annoyance when she shoved at him again and ignored a second one, but when a sudden jolt of electricity nearly made him piss himself, he pinned her flat on her back. "Do that again and this Sesshomaru will be forced to—" Another shock, this one harder than the last, made him gasp and he nearly punched her. If not for his inner demon, he surely would have. "Usagi! That is enough!"

What little power she'd regained—not even enough to transform and sustain her first body—was spent, and she sagged and just fought for air, her crystal blue eyes glaring wishes of pain and death up at him. "You made me cry," she finally whispered. "And you're a dick. Get out of my bed."

"You are ill. And cranky. And about to start your flows," Sesshomaru managed, trying his very best to stop himself from pinning her with his teeth. Gods, the scent of what an inu youkai would interpret as her impending heat had him inwardly climbing the walls! "Unless you wish for this Sesshomaru to fuck you into submission, lay still and sleep."

Even Usagi knew when she was pushing too hard and while her eyes held no less fury, she relaxed and rolled onto her side, facing the wall once he'd released her. "I thought youkai only slept a little every few days, anyway. Don't tell me you're turning into a pussy."

Markings growing jagged, Sesshomaru dug his claws into the futon and growled. "This one is fighting his inner demon. It is very tiring… as is your constant prattling. Sleep."

Oh hell, no. She was going to annoy the hell out of him since she was too weak to do anything else. "Why are you being a prick?"

"Why are you not asleep as this one commanded?" He countered smoothly.

"You promised to answer all questions honestly, Sesshomaru. Why are you suddenly treating me like shit? Did I do something wrong when we were making out? Or are you simply satisfied now, done with me, and you haven't left out of a sense of guilt for leaving me while I'm ill?"

"Silence. This Sesshomaru will only answer your questions honestly… should he choose to bother answering them. This one has not lied." Both his demon and the Tensaiga were nagging him then, and he growled in agitation. "You did nothing wrong. And this one is not satisfied, nor is he going anywhere. Now sleep and allow me time to rest."

"Whatever," she grunted angrily. An arm wrapping about her waist made her tense, but she knew damned well that her futon wasn't made for two and that there wasn't enough room for both of them unless they snuggled close, so she kept quiet. Eventually she felt him drop off, and still very upset with him, she slipped out as soon as he was deep asleep.

"Asshole," she whispered the moment she was dressed and out of the house. She did her business in the outhouse then and went about checking the hides that were still tanning. They seemed ready, so with much grunting and sweating and a few breaks to get her breath, Usagi lugged them out and readied them for the next step of the process. She was utterly ready to collapse by the time it was all done, so she took a break and laid out in the grass near her garden, soaking in the rays of the late afternoon sun.

Even ill and feverish, Usagi could only enjoy the warmth cooking into her and the sound of the birds, reflecting that this was by far the most peaceful dimension she'd ever dropped into. Normally, when she stayed in a place for more than a few days, it was for a reason, but this world was easily the longest place she'd stayed in decades just because she could. "And I'm not leaving now," she realized. "Not just because an arrogant inu youkai wouldn't leave me alone and chased off all my mortal friends. Hell, this was _my_ village first," she added with conviction, "and I won't run like a coward with my tail between my legs."

#####################################

Sesshomaru's inner demon was in a fine rage when he awoke and found himself alone in the dark, the house devoid of Usagi's fresh scent, and he nearly destroyed the door as he practically went through it in his search for her.

Luckily for her, he tracked her easily by her scent and clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared down at her peaceful, sleeping form. She was bathed in the sliver of moonlight from the waxing crescent above, and unless he was losing his mind, the moon actually seemed much larger and brighter than usual and the light was actually focused on her body. "Tensaiga. Is it healing her?"

_Yes. As well as trying to help her replenish her drained powers. Even if she is in a human body, the moon knows its queen. _

Sesshomaru merely grunted, still beyond annoyed that she'd left the house, and that emotion became hot anger when he noticed the tanned hides lying out to dry. "She is doing it just to anger this Sesshomaru, is she not?"

_She was very upset by your behavior and came outside to get away, _the silver crystal answered softly. _And Usagi is no stranger to hard work during the last two millennia. Be nice to her and you'll have what you seek, Sesshomaru. _

Ignoring its advice, he merely looked to the glow emanating from the blonde's chest and studied its aura curiously as he had many, many times over the course of Usagi's illness. "What, _exactly_ are you? Your aura reminds this one much of the Shikon no Tama, yet it is subtly different."

_Different dimensions, different names, I suppose. That would likely explain the subtle difference in aura as well. From the stories we've heard about the Shikon no Tama, Usagi and I both surmised that we are twins of a sort. Twins are a common occurrence between dimensions, you know, _it informed him lightly. _You had a very similar physical twin in Usagi's first life, _it added mischievously.

"Hn… dare I ask?"

_His name was Kunzite, and before he turned to the path of darkness, he was engaged to marry Minako. She was the princess of Venus and Princess Serenity's physical twin. _

That definitely had Sesshomaru's interest piqued; like called to like, so it was comforting to know that another quite similar to himself would be attracted to the moon goddess's body double.

_He was also gay after he went over to Queen Beryl's army, _the crystal deadpanned, chuckling audibly when Sesshomaru growled and his eyes glowed.

"This Sesshomaru is not amused."

_Ah, but I am! It's so nice to talk to someone besides Serenity after all these centuries; Atem was the only one besides Alucard that could even hear me on a regular basis… and since Alucard felt actual pain when exposed to my light, conversations with him were few and far between. It's been awhile, to say the least. So… read any good books lately?g_

"You prattle on even more than she does," Sesshomaru muttered in exasperation. "Do either of you ever shut up and simply enjoy the silence?"

_Of course not._

"At least you admit your shortcomings," he sighed, digging deep for any and all patience he possessed. It was going to be a very long night, sitting out here with the ginzuishou yacking his pointy youkai ear off.

_Wow, you're actually being almost nice, _the crystal purred.

"Because it is futile to become more than annoyed with something I cannot smite." And it was true, too… without anything to really focus on in order to shut the crystal up, even Sesshomaru's inner demon was at a loss for how to stop it. So it just sat there inside of him, utterly confused, and that emotion filled the inu lord as well. Never had he dealt with a chatty, sparkly rock before, and the Tensaiga always honored his requests for silence. The ginzuishou, however… "This Sesshomaru does not suppose that a polite request for quiet would be honored."

_Mmm… nope. But I very much appreciate how wonderfully polite it was. So… as a token of my gratitude for easing my loneliness, you may ask me anything. Oh, and I mean __**anything**__. _

Sesshomaru and his inner beast both perked up at that, and his ears twitched a little in anticipation. "You know what this one wants to know, crystal. Speak and he shall heed your advice."

_First, unbutton her camisole and push her skirt up to her thighs. _The crystal didn't have eyes, but it saw Sesshomaru hesitate, and if it had had the aforementioned body part, it would have rolled them in impatience. _Not that, you pervert. She needs the moonlight on her skin; it'll speed her healing. And since it's barely a sliver, it'd be better if her skin were mostly bare._

Sesshomaru did as he was told, and within moments, Usagi's chest and legs were naked. And it seemed to him that her lightly tanned skin actually _glowed_ in the moonlight focusing down upon her. "This will give her enough power to transform?" He asked curiously.

_Not even close; sorry, lover boy. _The crystal disregarded his little sniff and growl of annoyance for its disrespect. It wasn't there to respect him; it was there to make Usagi happy and nothing more. _If this had happened at the full moon or closer to it, Usagi wouldn't have gotten so ill. The moonlight gives her strength, and of course she was the sickest right before the new moon. So the light couldn't help her. It can barely help her now, but the moon always did try as hard as it could for its queen. _

"When. When will she be able to assume her goddess form."

_The first night of the full moon. Perhaps a day or two beforehand, but it's doubtful._

"You are doing this on purpose," Sesshomaru growled impatiently. His demon wanted her _now_, not in twelve or thirteen days, damn it!

If the ginzuishou had possessed shoulders, it would have shrugged. _Maybe, _it replied coyly. _Why don't you look at this as an opportunity to woo her a little? After everything Usa's been through and all she's sacrificed for the well-being of the universe, the girl deserves a little romancing, damn it! Would it really be so fucking hard for you to be kind and make her happy, fluffy boy?_

"Gods, your mouth is as foul as hers."

_Oh no, I'm much worse, trust me. Especially where my queen's happiness is concerned, _it replied smugly. _So… are you gonna try to be nice to her? I may be willing to divulge certain… um… sexual preferences about her if you promise, _it continued with a waggle of its nonexistence eyebrows.

Fuck that, he'd figure it out for himself. But just as he had that fleeting thought, his demon was rising up and practically drooling at the idea of having her moaning his name in ecstasy as it claimed her over and over again. "Define 'nice.'"

_Well, I suppose that for you, nice would be simply not acting like a total dick all the time. And if you start randomly doing kind things for her without any reason, she's going to suspect something's up. So don't do anything too out of character. She loves generous touching and kissing just to show affection… would that be too much of a stretch?_

"Generous, yes. Such a thing would be greatly out of character for this Sesshomaru. But I shall make an effort not to be unkind," he hedged.

_Guess that's the best I can hope for, _the crystal sighed. _So, she likes to snuggle, as you already know. Contact is a very big thing for her in general since she hates to be alone. And she adores backrubs. Oh, hey!_

Sesshomaru could practically see the thing grinning at him; the aura between Usagi's breasts had become playful and joking. "What. So far, she seems to need coddling as much as a pup."

_Be nice and I'll tell you about_ _her off switch! Wanna know how to shut her the fuck up in less than a second!?_

"This Sesshomaru is all ears," he replied with a ghost of a chuckle, his lips twitching up momentarily. The woman had an off switch? Something that would actually stop her yammering in its tracks!? How delightful! This might not be as bad as he'd previously imagined!

_Her shoulders and the back of her neck! Just start massaging them, and she shuts down like a T-101 with its chip pulled!_

"Pardon?"

_Er… nevermind. It's a pop culture reference from the future. Just do it when she starts yacking your ear off and you'll see, _it giggled.

"Do not get this one's hopes up," he chuckled, unable to stop from voicing his mirth at the very idea of shutting the moon goddess up.

_And speaking of her neck, there's this spot on her left side, towards the back… well, kiss it or nibble on it a bit and you'll see what happens. Hm… what else? _The crystal went silent for several moments while it pondered, and the inu lord was more than happy to enjoy the quiet while it tried to think about the next tip for seducing Usagi. _Don't be too rough with her breasts, _it finally said. _Vincent's demon got out of hand one time and I remember that the results wound up with her as Cosmos and… well… it was a little messy. Hell, it was always messy when those two fought, as it was with Alucard. But I know she liked it, too, _it snickered. _I swear, she practically thinks of battle as foreplay after being with those two._

"Hn… that actually sounds… very youkai by definition," Sesshomaru commented thoughtfully. "This Sesshomaru shall definitely take that bit of information into consideration. Ginzuishou… tell me something. Why are you advising me on how to easily take your mistress? If she is hesitant to mate with this Sesshomaru, why are you not telling me to keep my distance?"

_Because you'll make her happy, _it said with solemn honesty. _I know much that neither of you can even imagine, thanks to Sailor Pluto's starseed… and Her Majesty's happiness is my main priority. Just as it has been since her mother wished for it long, long ago._

Extremely suspicious of the crystal's words, Sesshomaru was about to question it further regarding just exactly what it meant when he heard a horse drawing near. "Ah-Un," he said in mild surprise, standing and striding towards the sound to investigate. Jaken must have finally caught up with him; when Sesshomaru had orbed from Rin's village, he'd left all of them behind.

It wasn't until he'd gotten a little closer—careful not to let Serenity out of his peripheral vision—that he smelled his daughter, and not his retainer. "This Sesshomaru shall have a word with Jaken for allowing you to travel unescorted."

"This Rin is sorry, Sesshomaru-sama."

That got him moving; her voice sounded faint and weak, and he smelled the illness on her before he'd even drug her out of the saddle. "Rin. You are hot. Is your throat sore as well?"

"It is spreading throughout my village, Sesshomaru-sama. This Rin was the only one strong enough to make the journey, and Ah-Un is much faster than a horse. We heard about the healer… and she is needed."

"Jaken should have come, not you," Sesshomaru growled. "You should be resting, daughter. Come," he ordered, scooping her into his arms. He carried her over to Usagi then and shook the healer awake, feeling only a twinge of guilt at the sight of the bags beneath her eyes. "Usagi. This Sesshomaru's daughter is in need of your powers." When she only blinked and seemed confused, his eyes became a little desperate at the thought of losing Rin… again. "Please, megami."

That rare word leaving his mouth and the feeling of his fear through her empathic powers made her nod wearily, and Usagi reached out and took Rin's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. "I can't heal you quickly since I'm drained, sweetie. Sleep with me and don't break contact; the crystal will heal you."

"You have this one's gratitude," Sesshomaru whispered, kissing Rin's forehead and then Usagi's after he'd laid his daughter down beside the blonde and covered them up with his mokomoko.

"The village," Rin breathed softly. "They are sick, too, Father. It started last night… we'd taken in an ill traveler and we must have caught it from him. Ah-Un does not like Jaken much, so this Rin rode in his stead. Jaken stayed to tend to the ill, under my orders. Please do not punish him."

"You did well, Rin," Sesshomaru assured her, running his claws through her ebony hair affectionately. "Megami… the ginzuishou has informed this Sesshomaru that you will not be able to transform until the full moon. Is there anything you can do for Rin's village?"

Usagi frowned but finally nodded. "I shall take care of it," she replied sadly. There was only one option, and as much as she detested transforming to Cosmos, she'd do it for the sake of the innocent. "We'll go at first light."

######################

As good as her word, Usagi was up at first light, leaning heavily on Sesshomaru for balance since he was carrying Rin, and practically falling asleep on her feet. "Sorry I'm so weak," she whispered. "Just get us there and I'll take care of the rest. Silver crystal, do you even have enough power left for me to transform one time?"

_Hai, Majesty. _

"It was this one's understanding that you could not transform for two more weeks," Sesshomaru said suspiciously. "Were you avoiding the inevitable, megami?"

"Iie, I won't be changing into that body," she whispered, trembling a bit at what was about to come when Sesshomaru orbed them to Rin's village. And when he set her on the ground, she shivered as she spoke the words and was engulfed in white light so strong that even Sesshomaru was temporarily blinded.

"Stay out of my way," Cosmos ordered Sesshomaru sternly, looking around and seeking out the starseeds of the sickest villagers. "I am weaker than I've been in a long time and this will require my full concentration."

She was off then with a speed even the inu lord couldn't follow, so he merely carried Rin to her home, stepping on Jaken—as usual—the moment he entered through the doorway.

"My Lord!" The little imp cried out happily, uncaring that he'd been trod upon like a doormat. "Your lowly servant is relieved to see you! Did you bring the healer with you?"

"This Sesshomaru brought her, yes. She is tending the ill as we speak and I must ensure her wellbeing. Watch over my daughter, Jaken." He left then, ignoring the typical bowing and scraping from his retainer; the imp was faithful, but he sure talked way too much for the youkai's liking.

He found the fuku-clad angel healing several children at once, her eyes closed in absolute focus as she glowed brightly and her wings fluffed in a sign of what Sesshomaru interpreted as impatience. Clearly, she was used to having much, much more power at her disposal. And when she stood and saw him, she frowned. "This one is not in your way, he is merely waiting to assist should you require it," he said knowingly.

This version of the goddess was not like her at all, he realized. This was not Serenity or Usagi, this was the Cosmos woman that she had mentioned before, and he had to admit that she was strikingly similar to himself in her carriage and in her manner of speaking. This woman was definitely a goddess, and he would admit it without hesitation.

"I will need food… a very large amount of it," Cosmos stated as she knelt beside an elderly woman that was barely hanging on and began to fill her with her starlight. At least the villagers had had the sense to bring all of the ill people to the largest home in an attempt to contain the virus. It made things much, much easier on her. "Enough to feed several grown men. My mortal form will be very weak after this, but I shall attempt to feed the ginzuishou some of my power before I depart. That way she won't be as weak as a kitten and forced to rely on anyone else to care for her."

"This Sesshomaru shall find enough food for such a meal," he said before striding back out of the large sick house.

When he returned, he found Cosmos looking drained, healing what appeared to be the very last person, and he waited patiently for her to finish before clearing his throat and holding out the tray full of food, ignoring the annoying thought that he felt like some sort of servant. "The women are preparing more."

"It's a start," Cosmos sighed. "Thank you… and do me a favor and do not get nasty with Usagi anymore. Her and I are very, very different people… she is hurt far more easily than I by your words and your deeds."

"You are not the same person?" Sesshomaru inquired curiously.

"No, we are not. Similar, but not the same. We do not even share the same mind or the same power source, demon." Cosmos let out a weary sigh, knowing that her mortal body could not handle an interrogation, so she decided to stick around for a moment to explain, despite her eagerness to go away and rest. "I am the warrior side of Usagi. She is a fighter, too, yes. But I am the part of her that ascended as Cosmos, and I take care of things that are too distasteful for her to handle. Her only wish was to live a normal life, and I am what resulted from that wish on the crystal, made several millennia ago. She split into three beings then; Usagi and Serenity are basically the same and their minds are practically one. I, on the other hand…" She shrugged one shoulder emotionlessly.

"You are the facet that is not so innocent," Sesshomaru supplied. "All in one, yet none the same."

"Yes… it is difficult to explain, I am sorry. Now, I am going to detransform, but be warned… Usagi is very, very weak, despite what power I had left to channel into the crystal so she would not die." She hid a smirk when the inu lord's jaw twitched. So, he actually cared, did he? "It would not be the first time that we have thrown our lives away for the sake of others, Sesshomaru-sama." She waved away another question, knowing exactly what it was. "We would have been reborn—_again_—in the Cauldron. We are truly immortal, Sesshomaru-sama. There is no final death for us. Ever."

The inu lord was truly surprised to hear this. She was genuinely immortal… no wonder she was so lonely, no wonder she had been hurt so badly by his planting of doubts among the mikos. He was even more surprised at the feeling of his beast taking over completely and speaking for him. "This one shall care for her and ensure her health and safety."

With a wry little smile, Cosmos nodded. This was what she had been waiting for, and she detransformed without another moment of waiting.

The daiyoukai moved quickly and caught the blonde as she blinked once and immediately collapsed, and he was lying her down on an empty futon as gently as possible, listening closely to the sound of her heartbeat and the rhythm of her breathing. "You need nourishment," he said when a villager brought over the forgotten tray. "Lean back," he instructed when he sat her up, using one arm to hold her in place and another to take a bowl of stew from the tray. "Drink, Usagi-san."

The term of respect was what roused her the most, and she blinked up at him, her chin tilting back so that they could lock eyes. "You have saved this one's daughter. You have his undying gratitude," he rumbled before nudging her face down towards the bowl, which he then held to her lips. "Drink."

Usagi complied, and for the next hour, she opened her mouth whenever instructed, ate and drank, but finally she found herself sagging wearily in his arms, unable to even hold her head up. "Sesshomaru… need to sleep," she mumbled almost incoherently, her words slurred and her body slumping heavily into his hold.

"Then sleep, Usagi-san. This Sesshomaru shall care for you and ensure your safety." When she gave him a tiny, grateful smile, the inu lord returned it with a solemn nod, and then he sensed her lose consciousness.

##############################

"Lord Sesshomaru, this Rin insists that you get some rest. You have not slept in five days, Father," the graceful young lady added gently as she carried the bowl of hot water into the cleared out sick house and placed it beside Usagi's beside along with several towels and washcloths.

"This Sesshomaru swore to care for her," he mumbled, obviously willing his eyes to stay open. "No," he grunted when Rin moved to begin washing the blonde lying motionless in the bed. "I promised to care for her. No, Rin," he repeated when she just continued as she had been, never losing that knowing smile as her father growled warningly at her.

"Yes," she replied brightly, giving him a smile that she knew he could never resist. "She has started her flows, so it would be improper for you to wash her. And when this Rin is finished, you will lay down with her and rest. I will wake you at moonrise."

"Daughter, you are trying this one's patience. I swore an oath to protect her. I cannot do that if I am sleeping," Sesshomaru ground out in annoyance.

Rin just laughed at that and leaned over to kiss his cheek, something she knew he liked but would never admit to. "Spare me, my Lord. This Rin knows as well as you that if anything or anyone so much as steps into this room while you are sleeping, you will be ripping them apart. Now, do not force this Rin to tuck you in like a stubborn child, Father." When he just glared at her, she grinned and pointed to his kimono. "You could use a bath as well, you know."

"Fine," he grunted before shedding his outerwear to retreat to the bathing room while Rin tended to the unconscious goddess.

When he returned, he frowned to find his daughter patiently waiting for him—he'd been hoping for her to leave so that he could continue his watch uninterrupted, but Rin knew him better than anyone else and clearly meant to make sure that he slept. "Shall this Rin tuck you in, Father?" She teased.

"No."

"I'll tell you a bedtime story!" She giggled when he just growled at her and his eyes turned a little pink, and Sesshomaru mused that he would have reacted much differently ten years ago.

"It is time for you to rest as well, Rin," he pointed out before gesturing towards the door. "Leave us. This Sesshomaru shall send for you in the morning if you wish for his company."

"This Rin does," she replied primly. "Sweet dreams, my Lord," she added with a giggle before she left the house and closed the door tightly behind her.

Sesshomaru decided that perhaps his daughter was right and laid down with the goddess, bringing Tensaiga with him to bed so that it would aid Usagi's crystal in healing her.

Like all his kind, he was asleep within moments of ordering his body to do so, and when he woke in the morning he was amazed to discover that he'd slept the entire night and not just for three or four hours as he usually did. And he'd woken to a stirring beside him… "Usagi. You are awake."

"Yeah," she croaked as she tried for the hundredth time to reach the water pitcher. She was grateful as hell when he reached across her and retrieved it for her, and sagged into his arms when he sat her up and held a cup to her lips. "More?" She asked hopefully.

Sesshomaru merely grunted in reply and allowed her a second cup of water, but he shook his head when she requested a third. "Wait. This one does not wish for you to vomit it up. Food, first."

Usagi just nodded and didn't even argue when he sat her up against his bare chest several minutes later and he held a bite of porridge to her lips. "Thank you," she whispered once half the bowl was gone and he offered her a cup of milk.

He regarded her silently as he fed her the rest of the bowl, reflecting that watching over her as she slept for several days and then feeding her was not even close enough to equal payment for saving his daughter's life. His honor demanded some form of payment for such a deed, but he was hesitant to offer it due to his worry that she would ask him to cease pursuing her. _Damn it, why should I care so much whether this woman rejects my advances or not?_

"Why are you upset?" Usagi asked softly between bites. She could feel his emotions as plain as day, and his worry was pouring into her as steadily as her energy was returning.

"You did this Sesshomaru a great service, megami. He is merely wondering how to repay your kindness," he replied in his usual monotone.

That warmed her heart a little and she smiled as she leaned into him. "Don't worry about it, Lord Sexy. I would have done it again even if I'd known how hard it would have knocked me out."

"Which is precisely why this one should offer recompense." He paused as he fed her another bite and steeled himself and his inner demon for her response when he spoke again. "You may choose any favor that is within this Sesshomaru's power to grant."

Blue eyes widened at that statement and she tilted her head back to find his mouth set in a grim line. Whoa… he was serious!? "That's an awfully generous offer, Sesshomaru. I mean… hell, anything in your power? That's an awful lot I could ask of you."

"Indeed." He was slightly mollified by the fact that she hadn't automatically asked him to stop trying to get up her skirt, but that only made him wonder what sort of material, greedy favor she might ask for instead. The inu lord had already made the offer, though, and he would stick to his promise to fulfill it even if she asked for his title and lands.

"Friendship and equality."

He blinked in surprise at that and his hand froze as it moved in to give her another bite of food. "Pardon?"

"Hee… you actually asked a question, that's cute," she chuckled. "Friendship and equality," Usagi repeated. "I suppose I already have the first, but I feel like I'm sorely lacking on the second. I just want you to drop the holier-than-thou attitude, is all. Treat me as an equal and a friend; that's all I want."

"You would not ask this Sesshomaru to leave you be once he has returned you to your village?"

Usagi giggled at that and shook her head. "You know, that idea didn't even cross my mind! Maybe I should take back my wish in favor of that!"

"Hn… you are joking. But this one does not find it funny," he huffed as he shoved the spoon in her mouth to shut her up. "You were serious about what favor you would ask of me?" He finally asked once the bowl was empty and he'd laid her back down.

"Yup. Though I think that treating me as an equal would be a lot harder than simply walking away," she mused.

Sesshomaru considered her request seriously for several moments and found himself strangely pleased by the idea of having her as his equal. He was also happy to hear that she hadn't even considered sending him away; that meant that she harbored a deep attraction to him and wanted him as much as he wanted her. "It is settled, megami. But this Sesshomaru requires the same level of respect."

"I already regard you as an equal, you big dope," she snorted. When he glared at her, Usagi just rolled her eyes, but she finally gave him a knowing smile. "Sesshomaru, if I _don't_ pick on you, it means I don't like you. It's just the way I am."

"Oh. So your disrespectful comments are your way of telling someone that they are your friend… hn… this one has much to learn about these strange human customs."

"You don't pick on Inuyasha?" When he shrugged a little, Usagi giggled. "He's your brother, so it's different. I get it."

"Half-brother," the daiyoukai corrected her smoothly.

"I don't see a difference between the two, Sessh. Either you're brothers or you aren't. My sisters weren't related to me by blood, but our close bonds made us more than just comrades or friends. Family is family, regardless of blood ties."

"Hn. You may have a point." He sat there silently for a long moment before tipping his head in a brief nod. "This Sesshomaru shall honor your request, Usagi-san." Her smile warmed him, and when Tensaiga pulsed in approval he knew that he was on his way to gaining her affections enough so that she would share her body fully with him once the full moon rose.

Not because he was truly beginning to value her company… no, of course not.

**Now… aren't yall so glad that I didn't force it? Huh? Huh huh huh? So… be assured that Sesshomaru's promise is definitely going to be put to the test a bit, and that there shall be some fun sexytime in the next chapter! So R&R!**


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